ALLENTOWN, Pa. — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra swung through the Queen City Monday, touring health care facilities, promoting legislation that cuts costs for patients and meeting with Latino voters on behalf of President Joe Biden’s campaign.
For most of his three-hour visit, Becerra spoke with doctors, patients and health care advocates at St. Luke’s University Health Network Sacred Heart and at Star Community Health Center on Chew Street.
Alongside U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, and Mayor Matt Tuerk, Becerra listened as officials spoke about the importance of treating people on their terms — in their communities and in their native tongue.
Allentown has large populations of Spanish and Arabic speakers, many of whom rely on public transportation. Becerra applauded efforts to engage those groups, such as St. Luke’s OB/GYN Care Associates, the first fully Spanish-speaking practice in the region.
“When you come in and you feel like people know you, you tell them everything they need to know. It then should not surprise you the health care results that you’re seeing in some of the facilities here are just tremendous,” he said, noting a lower-than-expected rate of diabetes among some patients.
“Out-of-pocket costs plus the cost of paying for insurance, it’s still a challenge for many of our patients.”Luz Crespo, St. Luke's University Health Network
But many of the people he met Monday called on the federal government to do more to protect patients and make essential medications more affordable.
Tony Branco, the former borough manager of Hellertown, thanked Wild and Becerra for their work on the Inflation Reduction Act. Among other provisions, the bill capped insulin costs for Medicare customers to $35 a month.
The change saved Branco about $3,000 annually, he said. The bill also allowed the federal government to negotiate the cost of drugs for the first time. However, negotiations have been limited to just 10 drugs, none of which are the expensive drugs Branco says he has to pay for out-of-pocket.
"Hopefully one day, with the congresswoman pushing and president and the (Inflation Reduction Act), that will change," Branco said.
Luz Crespo, supervisor of patient advocacy at St. Luke’s, said many of the families she serves struggle to get good information due to the language barrier.
Despite the creation of the Pennsylvania Marketplace through the Affordable Care Act, many people are still purchasing junk insurance through other means. Even patients who go through the proper channels may face limited options, she said.
“Out-of-pocket costs plus the cost of paying for insurance, it’s still a challenge for many of our patients,” Crespo said.
Allentown restaurant stop
Over lunch, Becerra stopped at Cocina de Abuelo, 621 Hamilton St., where he sat down with local leaders in the Latino community to discuss Biden’s re-election effort. In 2020, the Biden campaign earned criticism for not doing enough to engage in Allentown’s Latino community; Tuerk said he was the only Spanish-speaking person knocking on city doors for the campaign.
With a cucumber lemonade at his side, Becerra told the table the Biden campaign recognized it needed to do more. He treated the table as something of a focus group, asking them for their opinions on the best way to connect with voters and talking about the administration’s efforts to build on the Affordable Care Act.
“Can we count on you to help us get to the young people?” he asked.
“For the working Latino, it’s the nitty gritty. It’s inflation. It’s housing.”Teresa Donata, Northampton Community College professor
Teresa Donata, a professor at Northampton Community College, told Becerra the campaign should focus on kitchen table issues when addressing Latino voters. Biden has dedicated a number of high-profile speeches to protecting democracy, but those big concepts may not inspire Latinos to show up at the polls, she said.
To connect with the community, she said, the campaign ought to talk about the ways the administration has stuck up for consumers.
“For the working Latino, it’s the nitty gritty. It’s inflation. It’s housing,” Donata said.
Campaign season
Wild, a candidate herself this year, stressed the Biden campaign cannot take Allentown for granted. While Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the major Democratic bastions in the state, those alone aren’t enough to carry Pennsylvania.
Her swing congressional district — one of the most contested in the nation — could determine who sits in the Oval Office next January, she said. And driving up turnout among Allentown’s Latino voters could go a long way toward achieving that goal, she said.
“The president doesn’t win without Pennsylvania, and he doesn’t win Pennsylvania without PA-7,” Wild said, referring to her 7th Congressional District.
Tuerk agreed, saying that for too long local politicians have paid lip service to local Latinos. Biden needs to make commitments to improve housing and transportation in communities where his voters live, he said.
"There's a deepening want for us to be more than just seen," Tuerk said.
