Rotarians appreciate the community’s support

A very successful Night Under The Stars Fundraiser at the Jodo Mission was held April 9 with perfect Maui weather, a beautiful Lahaina sunset and yes… stars!

Community, members and volunteers all teamed to prep, set up and break down with precision… all done within a 24-hour block. Ten VIP tables, a huge number of general admission tickets and several walk-in tickets were sold at the door minutes before the program started.

There was an awesome catered Hawaiian luau, ono entrees, super sides and a special order haupia cake to top off the buffet. Oceanside BYOB bar service and well drinks were provided. There was Hawaiian entertainment by Uncle George Kahumoku, Wilmont Kahaialii, Lahainaluna Jazz Band and hula by Kalei Jaramillo.

Thank you, everyone, for your time, talent, silent auction items and cash donations to support West Side Scholarships and Education Programs.

ROTARY CLUB OF LAHAINA & LAHAINA ROTARY YOUTH FOUNDATION

Biden’s rationing of Alzheimer’s treatments is just the beginning

The Biden administration just barred most seniors from accessing new treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease.

The decision doesn’t merely cut off a potential lifeline for the roughly one in ten Medicare enrollees afflicted with this deadly dementia. It also sets a precedent that should terrify tens of millions of seniors — and their loved ones — battling other diseases, from cancer to diabetes.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services decided to only cover the new Alzheimer’s treatment, aducanumab — which is approved by the FDA — for patients enrolled in its own clinical trials.

This move is unprecedented. The FDA is staffed with scientists and other medical experts who spend months reviewing reams of clinical data to determine whether experimental medicines are safe and effective enough to warrant approval. New medicines are backed by some of the strongest research in health care. If FDA scientists and clinicians conclude that a treatment’s benefits outweigh its risks and should be available to American patients, then it should be, full stop.

CMS officials are tasked with administering the federal government’s largest insurance programs. The agency’s staffers are not qualified to evaluate a drug’s efficacy and safety — that’s the FDA’s job.

But this time, CMS decided to second-guess the experts at the FDA. Bureaucrats responsible for administering the $400 billion Medicare program supposedly took issue with the FDA’s rationale for approving the drug on an “accelerated” basis, and claim they want more evidence of its effectiveness before covering it for up to 1.5 million Medicare enrollees with early-stage Alzheimer’s who would otherwise qualify to take it, based on the drug label that the FDA approved. By the time CMS is done, none of those enrollees will still be in the “early-stage” category.

This sets a dangerous precedent. If CMS realizes it can use this type of procedure to unilaterally ration treatments, it’s unlikely to stop at Alzheimer’s drugs. It could use the same excuses to restrict seniors’ access to all sorts of breakthrough medicines for cancer, multiple sclerosis and dozens of other common, hard-to-treat diseases.

Every new treatment is an investment in our future. New medicines drive down long-term costs for our healthcare system and patients. And beyond the financial savings, new treatments could cut the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s by 42 percent by 2050. Investing and approving groundbreaking medical treatment now will mean money and lives saved down the line.

None of these potential victories against Alzheimer’s, cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis or any other hard to treat diseases will come to fruition if CMS continues to veer well outside its lane and second guesses the authority and expertise of the FDA. Seniors and taxpayers alike will be harmed by CMS’s short-sighted rationing.

SAUL ANUZIS, American Association of Senior Citizens

Using elections to rebuild trust

The leaked draft Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade roused rage from both left and right. One reaction has been common to both sides — more democracy-eroding cynicism about our government.

By creating a framework of laws and norms for setting priorities and making decisions, governments help different groups interact with each other. Because government plays this role, low trust in government is linked with greater prejudice and polarization.

It’s a vicious circle. We’re cynical about government, which lowers our trust in other people, which further lowers our trust in government, because some of those other people are the government.

Happily, we have a powerful moment to act. Primary elections are occurring now across the nation. As we interact with and evaluate candidates, we can demand, and reward, behaviors that will help rebuild our trust in institutions.

Pollsters and researchers have been able to chart what creates or undermines peoples’ trust in institutions. The list is familiar, as they’re the stuff of dinner table griping.

Politicians who make big promises and don’t deliver. Officials who speak out of both sides of their mouths. Council members who dole out favors to cronies.

These gripes point to what researchers have identified as five drivers of trust in institutions: responsiveness, reliability, integrity, openness, and fairness. These qualities are what we citizens need from our government. They are also how we can evaluate political candidates.

During the primary season, when candidates are seeking our votes, some of the things to analyze include: do candidates discuss their policy plans fully (openness) or rely on vague slogans? Is their desire to hold office part of a personal history of working for the common good (integrity) or is it simply self-aggrandizement? Do they seek to work on behalf of all their constituents (fairness) or only a certain group?

It’s up to us to put people in office whom we can trust, so that government can work for all of us. We have that chance — both now during primary season and again in November.

MELINDA BURRELL, PeaceVoice