Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., chair of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 14, 2023. A liberal activist wants a Pennsylvania court to bar U.S. Rep. Scott Perry from the state's primary ballot, arguing that Perry engaged in insurrectionist activity and cannot appear on the state's ballot under the Constitution's insurrection clause. The seven-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court. (Photo: AP/Patrick Semansky/File)
HARRISBURG, Pa.— A liberal activist asked a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday to bar U.S. Rep. Scott Perry from the state’s primary ballot, arguing that Perry isn’t eligible because of his efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office and block the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden.
The seven-page lawsuit asks Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court to declare that Perry engaged in insurrectionist activity and cannot hold public office under the Constitution’s insurrection clause. The lawsuit by activist Gene Stilp names Perry and Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, Al Schmidt.
Perry, a Republican, is expected to run for a seventh term, although candidates cannot file paperwork yet to qualify for Pennsylvania’s April 23 primary ballot.
In part, the filing cites Perry’s role in trying to use the Department of Justice to help Trump stall the certification of the election by installing an acting attorney general who would be receptive to Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
The challenge comes on the heels of Maine’s Democratic secretary of state removing Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the clause and a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that booted Trump from the ballot there. Trump is expected to appeal both to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a statement, Perry’s lawyer, John P. Rowley, suggested that those appeals would ensure that the lawsuit against Perry is nullified.
“This lawsuit was filed by a partisan activist who clearly has no regard or understanding of how our Democratic Republic works,» Rowley wrote. «It is but the latest effort by an extremist to disqualify a duly elected official with whom he disagrees. We are confident the Supreme Court will put an end to this lunacy.”
Perry has not been charged with a crime, although he is the only sitting member of Congress whose cellphone was seized by the FBI in its investigation into efforts to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Perry has fought efforts by federal investigators to review texts and emails from his cell phone. A judge last month ordered Perry to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents. Perry did not appeal it, his lawyer said.
Schmidt’s office declined comment Tuesday. It previously opposed a similar lawsuit in federal court seeking to remove Trump from the ballot in Pennsylvania. Stilp last week withdrew that lawsuit, and plans to file a new lawsuit in state court, saying he has a better chance of success there than in federal court.
The 155-year-old Civil War-era clause — Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution — bars from office those who “engaged in insurrection.” It was designed to keep representatives who had fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War from returning to Congress.
Cherelle Parker, the newly sworn-in 100th mayor of Philadelphia, left, and new Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, right, raise their hands together to the audience during their inauguration ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, at the Met in Philadelphia. (Photo: AP/Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Cherelle Parker, who has held local and state office and first got involved in politics as a teenager, publicly swore her oath of office on Tuesday as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor, becoming the first woman to do so.
The 51-year-old Democrat with years of political experience took the helm of the nation’s sixth-largest city in a ceremony at the historic Met in Philadelphia. She succeeds term-limited Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney.
“By every statistic imaginable, I am not supposed to be standing here today,” Parker told supporters gathered for her roughly hourlong address. “I, Cherelle Parker, was a child who most people thought would never succeed. And they almost did have me thinking the same thing.”
Cherelle Parker takes the oath of office as the 100th mayor of Philadelphia, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, during inauguration ceremonies on stage at the Met in Philadelphia. (Photo: AP/Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Surrounded by family, friends, former mayors and current U.S. and state legislators and officials, Parker echoed her campaign promise: to make Philadelphia the “safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation that will provide access to economic opportunity for all.”
Parker had emerged early in the crowded mayoral race as the only leading Black candidate, and soared to a victory in November’s election in the heavily Democratic city. Parker’s moderate message resonated with voters who are increasingly worried about public safety as well as quality-of-life issues, from faulty streetlights to potholes to trash collection. She also promised a well-trained police force that is engaged with the community along with mental health and behavioral support.
Parker served for 10 years as a state representative for northwest Philadelphia before her election to the City Council in 2015. She said she was a leader whose government experience would allow her to address gaping problems in the city.
Sara Innamorato speaks during the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s Black Caucus candidate forum, April 29, 2023, at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh. Innamorato took her oath as Allegheny County executive on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (Photo: AP/Arturo Fernandez/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/File)
Tucked into attendees’ seats was an action plan laying out her intentions, which Parker promised was a commitment. And to the naysayers who may cast doubt before she gets started, she asked supporters to tell them, “Don’t throw shade on my Philly shine.”
She vowed in her remarks to — in the first 100 days — announce a plan to increase the number of Philadelphia police officers on the streets, acting «as guardians, and not warriors,” she said. She also said she’d declare a public safety emergency to drive resources into neighborhoods, eyeing crime, gun violence and addiction.
Parker tapped her new police commissioner in November, who she said will tackle the city’s pressing concerns.
She promised not to shy away from tough decisions, acknowledging that she heard criticism on the campaign trail that she lacked compassion in dealing with addiction.
“We’re going to have a data-driven and research-based approach that is put together by the best law enforcement and public health professionals that we can find,” she said. «But I want you to know everyone is not going to be happy when we make these decisions.
Cherelle Parker, the newly sworn-in 100th mayor of Philadelphia, takes the podium to deliver her inauguration address during the ceremony, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, at the Met in Philadelphia. (Photo: AP/Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Her administration pledged to eliminate some barriers for city jobs such as college degree requirements. She also announced intentions to keep school buildings open longer; to review the city’s Lank Bank to better understand developing city-owned property to make way for more affordable housing; reducing the red tape to do business in the city; and a new approach to solving the city’s issues with dumping, litter, abandoned cars and potholes.
“This opportunity to deliver in a meaningful way for the city of Philadelphia — not just for the next four years, but the work we do now — it should be a foundation for the future,” she said. “I’m not talking about incremental change. I’m talking about bold transformative steps, that when people walk outside of their houses, they can touch, see and feel the results of our labor. If they don’t see it, it’s on us.”
Across the state in Allegheny County, home to the state’s second-largest city of Pittsburgh, Sara Innamorato took her oath as county executive on Tuesday. Innamorato is also the first woman to serve in the role and, she joked, perhaps the first with tattoos. She won on a progressive campaign, envisioning a green, sustainable city that is “union-made and union-run,” while compassionately tackling issues of poverty, crime and addiction.
Outgoing Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke, right, hands over an oversized gavel to newly-elected City Council President Kenyatta Johnson during inauguration ceremonies, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, at the Met in Philadelphia. (Photo: AP/Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Dressed in all white — a nod to the suffragettes — she promised, “In my administration, the community’s priorities will be the county’s priorities.”
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, left, raises her fist in the air after her guest appearance to read a poem at the inauguration of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, not pictured, at the Met, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
The reality is, she told supporters, there are people in the county living vastly different experiences.
Kenyatta Johnson, with his wife, Dawn Chavous, center, and their sons, right, takes the oath of office as president of Philadelphia City Council president during inauguration ceremonies, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, at the Met in Philadelphia. Mayor Cherelle Parker is at left. (Photo: AP/Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
“In too many cases, those differences stem from shortcomings in our approach to economics, to social services and to justice,” she said. “Now we don’t need to be ashamed of these facts and where we fall short, but we do have to acknowledge it. We have to be comfortable identifying injustices, naming them and understanding them because only then can we root them out, repair our foundations and rebuild on stronger footing.”
This photo provided by the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa shows the screen of a Unitronics device that was hacked in Aliquippa, Pa., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. The hacked device was in a pumping booster station owned by the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa. An electronic calling card left by the hackers suggests they picked their target because it uses components made by an Israeli company. (Photo: Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa)
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The tiny Aliquippa water authority in western Pennsylvania was perhaps the least-suspecting victim of an international cyberattack.
It had never had outside help in protecting its systems from a cyberattack, either at its existing plant that dates to the 1930s or the new $18.5 million one it is building.
Then it — along with several other water utilities — was struck by what federal authorities say are Iranian-backed hackers targeting a piece of equipment specifically because it was Israeli-made.
“If you told me to list 10 things that would go wrong with our water authority, this would not be on the list,” said Matthew Mottes, the chairman of the authority that handles water and wastewater for about 22,000 people in the woodsy exurbs around a one-time steel town outside Pittsburgh.
The hacking of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa is prompting new warnings from U.S. security officials at a time when states and the federal government are wrestling with how to harden water utilities against cyberattacks.
The danger, officials say, is hackers gaining control of automated equipment to shut down pumps that supply drinking water or contaminate drinking water by reprogramming automated chemical treatments. Besides Iran, other potentially hostile geopolitical rivals, including China, are viewed by U.S. officials as a threat.
A number of states have sought to step up scrutiny, although water authority advocates say the money and the expertise are what is really lacking for a sector of more than 50,000 water utilities, most of which are local authorities that, like Aliquippa’s, serve corners of the country where residents are of modest means and cybersecurity professionals are scarce.
Besides, utilities say, it’s difficult to invest in cybersecurity when upkeep of pipes and other water infrastructure is already underfunded, and some cybersecurity measures have been pushed by private water companies, sparking pushback from public authorities that it is being used as a back door to privatization.
Efforts took on new urgency in 2021 when the federal government’s leading cybersecurity agency reported five attacks on water authorities over two years, four of them ransomware and a fifth by a former employee.
At the Aliquippa authority, Iranian hackers shut down a remotely controlled device that monitors and regulates water pressure at a pumping station. Customers weren’t affected because crews alerted by an alarm quickly switched to manual operation — but not every water authority has a built-in manual backup system.
With inaction in Congress, a handful of states passed legislation to step up scrutiny of cybersecurity, including New Jersey and Tennessee. Before 2021, Indiana and Missouri had passed similar laws. A 2021 California law commissioned state security agencies to develop outreach and funding plans to improve cybersecurity in the agriculture and water sectors.
Legislation died in several states, including Pennsylvania and Maryland, where public water authorities fought bills backed by private water companies.
Private water companies say the bills would force their public counterparts to abide by the stricter regulatory standards that private companies face from utility commissions and, as a result, boost public confidence in the safety of tap water.
“It’s protecting the nation’s tap water,” said Jennifer Kocher, a spokesperson for the National Association of Water Companies. “It is the most economical choice for most families, but it also has a lack of confidence from a lot of people who think they can drink it and every time there’s one of these issues it undercuts the confidence in water and it undercuts people’s willingness and trust in drinking it.”
Opponents said the legislation is designed to foist burdensome costs onto public authorities and encourage their boards and ratepayers to sell out to private companies that can persuade state utility commissions to raise rates to cover the costs.
“This is a privatization bill,” Justin Fiore of the Maryland Municipal League told Maryland lawmakers during a hearing last spring. “They’re seeking to take public water companies, privatize them by expanding the burden, cutting out public funding.”
For many authorities, the demands of cybersecurity tend to fade into the background of more pressing needs for residents wary of rate increases: aging pipes and increasing costs to comply with clean water regulations.
One critic, Pennsylvania state Sen. Katie Muth, a Democrat from suburban Philadelphia’s Montgomery County, criticized a GOP-penned bill for lacking funding.
“People are drinking water that is below standards, but selling out to corporations who are going to raise rates on families across our state who cannot afford it is not a solution,” Muth told colleagues during floor debate on a 2022 bill.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Rob Matzie, a Democrat whose district includes the Aliquippa water authority, is working on legislation to create a funding stream to help water and electric utilities pay for cybersecurity upgrades after he looked for an existing funding source and found none.
“The Aliquippa water and sewer authority? They don’t have the money,” Matzie said in an interview.
In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule to require states to audit the cybersecurity of water systems.
It was short-lived.
Three states — Arkansas, Missouri and Iowa — sued, accusing the agency of overstepping its authority and a federal appeals court promptly suspended the rule. The EPA withdrew the rule in October, although a deputy national security adviser, Anne Neuberger, told The Associated Press that it could have “identified vulnerabilities that were targeted in recent weeks.”
Two groups that represent public water authorities, the American Water Works Association and the National Rural Water Association, opposed the EPA rule and now are backing bills in Congress to address the issue in different ways.
One bill would roll out a tiered approach to regulation: more requirements for bigger or more complex water utilities. The other is an amendment to Farm Bill legislation to send federal employees called “circuit riders” into the field to help smaller and rural water systems detect cybersecurity weaknesses and address them.
If Congress does nothing, 6-year-old Safe Drinking Water Act standards will still be in place — a largely voluntary regime that both the EPA and cybersecurity analysts say has yielded minimal progress.
Meanwhile, states are in the midst of applying for grants from a $1 billion federal cybersecurity program, money from the 2021 federal infrastructure law.
But water utilities will have to compete for the money with other utilities, hospitals, police departments, courts, schools, local governments and others.
Robert M. Lee, CEO of Dragos Inc., which specializes in cybersecurity for industrial-control systems, said the Aliquippa water authority’s story — that it had no cybersecurity help — is common.
“That story is tens of thousands of utilities across the country,” Lee said.
Because of that, Dragos has begun offering free access to its online support and software that helps detect vulnerabilities and threats for water and electric utilities that draw under $100 million in revenue.
After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Dragos tested the idea by rolling out software, hardware and installation at a cost of a couple million bucks for 30 utilities.
“It was amazing, the feedback,” Lee said. «You wonder, ‘Hey I think I can move the needle in this way’ … and those 30 were like, ‘Holy crap, no one’s ever paid attention to us. No one’s ever tried to get us help.'»
En esta fotografía de archivo del 6 de enero de 2021, insurrectos leales al presidente Donald Trump participan en disturbios afuera del Capitolio, en Washington. (Foto: VOA)
Muchos en Estados Unidos alertan de las consecuencias que podría tener el regreso a la Casa Blanca de Donald Trump; sin embargo, algunos expertos recuerdan que existen mecanismos para proteger el orden establecido y destacan cómo el sistema se mantuvo firme en 2020.
Durante los últimos tres años, la democracia más antigua del mundo ha sido puesta a prueba de maneras no vistas en décadas.
Un presidente en funciones intentó anular unos comicios y sus partidarios asaltaron el Capitolio para impedir que el ganador asumiera el poder. Quienes apoyaron ese ataque lanzaron una campaña contra las oficinas electorales locales, expulsando a administradores veteranos e incitando a los estados conservadores a que aprobaran nuevas leyes que dificultaran votar.
Al mismo tiempo, los últimos tres años demostraron que la democracia estadounidense es resistente.
Los intentos del expresidente Donald Trump de revocar los resultados de las elecciones de 2020 fracasaron, bloqueados por los controles y contrapesos del sistema constitucional, y ahora el exmandatario enfrenta cargos a nivel federal y estatal por esas iniciativas.
Luego, los votantes intervinieron. En cada estado crucial para las elecciones presidenciales, rechazaron a todos los candidatos que respaldaron las mentiras de Trump de que los comicios habían sido robados y que se postularon a cargos a nivel estatal desde los que se ejercía cierto nivel de supervisión sobre las elecciones.
La infraestructura electoral del país funcionó bien, con sólo algunos trastornos durante los comicios intermedios de 2022. Las nuevas leyes electorales, muchas de las cuales son técnicas y de implementación gradual, tuvieron poco impacto perceptible sobre la votación real.
Los votantes han dado un paso al frente para defender nuestra democracia en los últimos años”
Joanna Lydgate, directora general de States United
“Los votantes han dado un paso al frente para defender nuestra democracia en los últimos años”, dijo Joanna Lydgate, directora general de States United, una organización apartidista dedicada a proteger los comicios y que da seguimiento a quienes se niegan a creer en la legitimidad de las elecciones presidenciales de 2020. “Los funcionarios estatales y locales han hecho un trabajo extraordinario para proteger nuestras elecciones libres e imparciales”.
Entonces, ¿por qué toda la preocupación? Como señalan rápidamente Lydgate y cualquiera que trabaje en el campo prodemocracia, la gran prueba —considera— ocurrirá en 2024.
Trump se postula nuevamente para la Casa Blanca y ha predominado en las primarias republicanas a medida que se acercan las primeras votaciones. Ha pedido que se indulte a quienes fueron enjuiciados por el ataque al Capitolio del 6 de enero de 2021, aún insiste falsamente en que las elecciones de 2020 fueron “robadas”, y dice que utilizará al gobierno federal para vengarse de sus enemigos políticos.
En esta fotografía de archivo del 6 de enero de 2021, insurrectos leales al presidente Donald Trump participan en disturbios afuera del Capitolio, en Washington. (Foto: VOA)
Trump ha utilizado una retórica cada vez más autoritaria en su campaña para obtener la nominación del Partido Republicano. Si gana, sus aliados han planeado llenar el gobierno con personas leales para que la burocracia no obstaculice los planes más controvertidos de Trump de la forma en que lo hizo durante su primer mandato.
Se ha llegado a tal punto que recientemente el comentarista conservador Hugh Hewitt le preguntó a Trump si planeaba ser un dictador: “Para nada”, respondió el exmandatario. “No, yo voy a gobernar como alguien que es muy popular entre el pueblo”.
Las elecciones de 2024 podrían provocar todo tipo de conflictos, incluidos escenarios que notablemente no se han materializado a pesar de la preocupación generalizada al respecto desde 2020: violencia en las urnas, observadores electorales partidistas demasiado agresivos o fallas en el recuento de votos.
No obstante, parece poco probable que Trump pudiese regresar a la Casa Blanca si pierde las elecciones. Eso es lo que no logró en 2020, y ahora está en una posición más débil.
Su estrategia en ese entonces fue utilizar el dominio republicano en las legislaturas, gobernaciones y secretarías de Estado de los estados políticamente oscilantes para tratar de enviar listas de electores falsos al Congreso, a pesar de que el demócrata Joe Biden ganó esos estados y obtuvo la presidencia.
Desde entonces, los republicanos han perdido dos de esos cargos de secretario de Estado en estados reñidos —Arizona y Nevada—, así como la gobernación de Arizona y el control de las legislaturas estatales en Michigan y Pensilvania. En el Congreso, los legisladores aprobaron un proyecto de ley bipartidista que cierra algunas de las lagunas jurídicas en el recuento de votos del Colegio Electoral que Trump intentó aprovechar para permanecer en el cargo, lo que dificulta la impugnación de las certificaciones estatales en la Cámara de Representantes.
El resultado es que será mucho más difícil que Trump intente revertir una derrota en 2024 que en 2020. La forma más probable de que regrese a la Casa Blanca es si gana las elecciones directamente.
“Esto no significa que los riesgos hayan desaparecido”, dijo Rick Hasen, profesor de derecho de la Universidad de California, campus de Los Ángeles. “Significa que hemos librado con éxito la última guerra”.
Lecciones de la historia
La historia está llena de ejemplos de gobernantes autoritarios que primero llegaron al poder tras ganar unas elecciones democráticas legítimas. Pero el riesgo para la democracia de alguien que gana legítimamente unos comicios es diferente al riesgo de que un candidato intente revertir una derrota electoral.
Cuando Trump comenzó a afirmar falsamente que había ganado las elecciones de 2020 e instó a los republicanos a anular la voluntad de los votantes de sus estados y enviar a sus electores al Congreso, todos los funcionarios republicanos con el poder para actuar eso se negaron.
Los líderes republicanos del poder legislativo de Michigan rechazaron su solicitud de anular a los votantes. En Georgia, donde las papeletas presidenciales fueron contadas tres veces y confirmaron la victoria de Biden, el gobernador Brian Kemp y Brad Raffensperger, el secretario de Estado, se granjearon la furia de Trump al rechazarlo. Lo mismo hicieron Doug Ducey, el entonces gobernador de Arizona, y los líderes republicanos de la legislatura de ese estado.
Algunos republicanos sí intentaron ayudar a Trump. Ken Paxton, fiscal general de Texas, encabezó a un grupo de 17 fiscales generales republicanos que presentaron una demanda en la que instaban a la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos a anular los comicios. El máximo tribunal desestimó rápidamente el caso. Trump perdió todas salvo una de las más de 60 demandas que él y sus aliados presentaron en diferentes estados para anular las elecciones, a veces ante jueces que él había designado.
Luego, en noviembre de 2022, todos los candidatos de los estados políticamente oscilantes que respaldaron los intentos de Trump para revertir su derrota —y que se postulaban para un cargo estatal en el que se ejercía cierto papel relacionado con las elecciones— perdieron.
“No hay duda de que nuestra democracia se ha visto abollada en un par de momentos últimamente, pero hemos decidido que nos gusta en comparación con la alternativa”, dijo Justin Levitt, quien se desempeñó como asesor para la democracia y los derechos electorales durante dos años en la Casa Blanca de Biden y ahora es profesor de derecho en la Universidad Loyola Marymount, en Los Ángeles.
Nuestra democracia se ha visto abollada en un par de momentos últimamente, pero hemos decidido que nos gusta en comparación con la alternativa”
Justin Levitt, profesor de derecho en la Universidad Loyola Marymount
Los negacionistas de las elecciones han podido lograr avances en un área: cargos en los que simplemente tienen que ganar unas primarias republicanas. Eso ha significado que han asumido el poder en gobiernos locales de muchas zonas rurales, a menudo perturbando comicios y apegándose a teorías de conspiración o procedimientos como el recuento manual, que es menos confiable y requiere más tiempo que tabular miles de votos en máquinas.
Además, han podido ampliar su poder dentro de los cuerpos legislativos republicanos, desde las cámaras estatales hasta el Congreso. El representante federal Mike Johnson, quien ayudó a organizar un informe en apoyo de la demanda rápidamente desestimada para anular la victoria de Biden, es ahora el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes.
Si Johnson conserva su cargo de presidente de la cámara baja en enero de 2025, podría estar en condiciones de causar una alteración en la certificación de una victoria de Biden. Los republicanos más dispuestos a socavar la democracia también podrían tener mayor influencia en las legislaturas estatales.
Y además está la opinión de quienes respaldan a Trump. Ellos aseguran estar incluso más preocupados por la democracia que quienes se oponen a él. Normalmente, los miembros del partido que está fuera del poder sienten que la democracia no funciona tan bien para ellos, pero la situación de Trump es diferente. Es el primer presidente en la historia de Estados Unidos que enfrenta un proceso judicial y promueve la narrativa de que está siendo perseguido por su probable oponente en las elecciones generales.
Trump dice que los casos penales y los intentos separados de excluirlo de las elecciones bajo la cláusula de insurrección de la Constitución son una forma de interferencia electoral.
La Corte Suprema de Colorado encontró que su papel en el ataque del 6 de enero era motivo suficiente para retirarlo de la boleta electoral del estado bajo la 14ta Enmienda, un fallo que la campaña de Trump dijo que apelará pronto ante la Corte Suprema federal, donde tres de sus nominados ayudan a conformar la mayoría conservadora.
El jueves, la secretaria de Estado de Maine, Shenna Bellows, expulsó a Trump de la boleta de las primarias de ese estado, con lo que se convirtió en el primer funcionario electoral en tomar tal medida. Bellows, de extracción demócrata, puso en pausa su fallo hasta que el sistema judicial de Maine se pronuncie sobre el caso.
Durante su campaña, Trump ha adoptado un enfoque de “lo que me digas o hagas rebota en mí y se te pega a ti”, y acusó a Biden de ser la verdadera amenaza para la democracia.
Un argumento más revelador proviene de una disputa que uno de los exabogados del expresidente presentó ante la Corte Suprema de Colorado. Scott Gessler, exsecretario de Estado de Colorado, argumentaba en contra de los intentos de un grupo liberal de expulsar a Trump de la boleta electoral.
“Si toda la nación elige a alguien para ser presidente, ¿puede ser eso una insurrección o es eso una selección democrática?”, preguntó Gessler.
Gessler se refería al caso hipotético de que un exconfederado ganara la Casa Blanca en el siglo XIX, pero es fácil ver cómo esto es aplicable a los comicios que el país tiene ante sí.
O, como dijo Levitt sobre la democracia estadounidense: “Depende de nosotros cuán resistente la hagamos”.
Fotografía del manual de Medicare tomada en Washington, el 8 de noviembre de 2018. (Foto: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Archivo)
Nuevos medicamentos para tratar la obesidad muestran resultados prometedores para ayudar a algunas personas a perder kilos, pero seguirán fuera del alcance de millones de estadounidenses mayores porque Medicare tiene prohibido cubrir dichos fármacos.
Las compañías farmacéuticas y una amplia y creciente coalición bipartidista de legisladores se preparan para presionar para que eso cambie este año.
A medida que las tasas de obesidad aumentan entre los adultos mayores, algunos legisladores dicen que Estados Unidos no puede darse el lujo de mantener una ley de décadas de antigüedad que prohíbe a Medicare pagar por medicamentos nuevos para bajar de peso, incluidos Wegovy y Zepbound. Pero las investigaciones muestran que el precio inicial de cubrir esos medicamentos es tan elevado que podría dejar en cero la ya inestable cuenta bancaria de Medicare.
Aquí, una mirada al debate sobre si Medicare debería cubrir los fármacos para tratar el sobrepeso y la obesidad —y cómo—:
¿QUÉ MEDICAMENTOS CONTRA LA OBESIDAD HAY EN EL MERCADO Y CÓMO FUNCIONAN?
La Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de Estados Unidos (FDA, por sus siglas en inglés) ha aprobado en los últimos años una nueva clase de inyectables semanales —Wegovy, de Novo Nordisk, y Zepbound, de Eli Lilly— para tratar la obesidad.
Las personas pueden perder entre el 15% y el 25% de su peso corporal con estos medicamentos, que imitan a las hormonas que regulan el apetito al comunicar saciedad entre el intestino y el cerebro cuando la gente come.
El costo de los medicamentos, adorados por las celebridades, los ha limitado en gran medida a los ricos. Un suministro mensual de Wegovy cuesta 1.300 dólares, y de Zepbound, 1.000 dólares. La escasez de los medicamentos también ha limitado la oferta. Las aseguradoras privadas a menudo no cubren los medicamentos o imponen restricciones estrictas sobre quién puede acceder a ellos.
El mes pasado, un estudio grande e internacional encontró una reducción del 20% en el riesgo de problemas graves del corazón, como ataques cardiacos, en pacientes que tomaron Wegovy.
¿POR QUÉ MEDICARE NO CUBRE LOS MEDICAMENTOS?
Mucho antes de que Oprah Winfrey y los influencers de TikTok hablaran con entusiasmo sobre los beneficios de estos fármacos para bajar de peso, el Congreso estableció una regla: la Parte D de Medicare —el plan de seguro médico para que los estadounidenses mayores obtengan fármacos que requieren receta— no podía cubrir medicamentos utilizados para ayudar a ganar o perder peso. Medicare cubre las pruebas de detección de obesidad y el tratamiento conductual si una persona tiene un índice de masa corporal (IMC) superior a 30. Las personas con un IMC superior a 30 se consideran obesas.
La norma fue aprobada por el Congreso en 2003 como parte de un paquete de iniciativas que revisó las prestaciones de Medicare sobre fármacos recetados.
Los legisladores se opusieron a pagar altos costos por medicamentos para tratar una condición que históricamente era considerada como cosmética. Los problemas de inocuidad que surgieron en la década de 1990 con el tratamiento contra la obesidad conocido como fen-phen, que tuvo que ser retirado del mercado, también eran un recuerdo cercano.
Medicaid, el programa estatal-federal para personas de bajos ingresos, cubre los medicamentos en algunas áreas, pero el acceso es fragmentado.
LA CONVERSACIÓN ESTÁ CAMBIANDO
Nuevos estudios muestran que los medicamentos hacen más que ayudar a los pacientes a adelgazar.
El representante republicano Brad Wenstrup, de Ohio, presentó este año un proyecto de ley junto con el representante demócrata Raúl Ruiz, de California, que permitiría a Medicare cubrir los medicamentos, terapias, nutricionistas y dietistas contra la obesidad que actualmente no puede.
“Durante años hubo un estigma contra estas personas, luego hubo un estigma sobre hablar de la obesidad”, dijo Wenstrup en una entrevista con The Associated Press. “Ahora estamos en un punto donde decimos que este es un problema de salud y tenemos que abordarlo”.
Wenstrup cree que la intervención podría aliviar todo tipo de males asociados con la obesidad que le cuestan dinero al sistema.
“El problema es muy prevalente”, agregó. “La gente está empezando a darse cuenta de que hay que tener en cuenta los ahorros que conlleva una mejor salud”.
El año pasado, alrededor del 40% de las casi 66 millones de personas inscritas en Medicare tenían obesidad. Esa es básicamente la misma proporción que hay en la población estadounidense en general, donde el 42% de los adultos son obesos, según los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades.
Notablemente, Medicare cubre ciertos procedimientos quirúrgicos para tratar las complicaciones médicas de la obesidad en personas con un IMC de 35 y al menos una enfermedad relacionada. El Congreso aprobó la excepción en 2006, señaló Mark McClellan, exdirector de los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid y de la FDA.
La ley, que data de hace 17 años, puede proporcionar un modelo para ampliar la cobertura a los nuevos medicamentos —cuyos resultados son similares a los de la cirugía bariátrica en algunos casos—, dijo McClellan. La evidencia demostró que la cirugía redujo los riesgos de muerte y de enfermedades graves por afecciones relacionadas con la obesidad.
“Y esa ha sido la base de la cobertura todo este tiempo”, agregó McClellan.
EL COSTO ES AHORA EL PROBLEMA
Aun así, el precio inicial para cambiar la norma todavía es un desafío.
Algunas investigaciones muestran que ofrecer medicamentos para bajar de peso aseguraría la inminente quiebra de Medicare. Un análisis de la Universidad de Vanderbilt de marzo de 2023 estimó un precio anual de alrededor de 26.000 millones de dólares en medicamentos contra la obesidad para Medicare si se recetaran al 10% de los afiliados al sistema.
No obstante, otra investigación muestra que también podría ahorrarle al gobierno miles de millones —e incluso billones— a lo largo de muchos años porque reducirían algunas de las enfermedades y problemas crónicos que se derivan de la obesidad.
Un análisis de principios de 2023 del Centro Schaeffer de la Universidad del Sur de California estimó que el gobierno podría ahorrar hasta 245.000 millones de dólares en una década, y la mayoría de los ahorros provendrían de la reducción de hospitalizaciones y otros servicios médicos.
“Lo que hicimos fue analizar las consecuencias para la salud a largo plazo de tratar la obesidad en la población (afiliada a) Medicare”, dijo el coautor del estudio Darius Lakdawalla, director de investigación del centro. El Centro Schaeffer recibe financiación de empresas farmacéuticas, incluida Eli Lilly.
Lakdawalla dijo que es casi imposible poner un costo a la cobertura de los fármacos porque nadie sabe cuántas personas terminarán tomándolos o cuál será el precio de los medicamentos.
La Oficina de Presupuesto del Congreso (o CBO, por sus siglas en inglés), encargada de evaluar las propuestas legislativas, reconoció esta dificultad en un blog en octubre, y el director pidió una mayor investigación sobre el tema.
En general, la agencia “espera que el costo neto de los medicamentos para el programa Medicare sea significativo durante los próximos 10 años”.
El costo es el mayor obstáculo para obtener apoyo para el proyecto de ley, dijo Ruiz.
“Cuando hablamos del costo inicial, a menudo tengo que informar a los miembros que la CBO no toma en cuenta los ahorros en su análisis de costo-beneficio”, explicó Ruiz a la AP. “Tomando esa cifra de manera aislada, uno no obtiene el panorama completo de la economía total de reducir la obesidad y todas sus comorbilidades en nuestros pacientes”.
¿QUIÉN QUIERE QUE MEDICARE CUBRA LOS MEDICAMENTOS?
Los médicos dicen que los fármacos para bajar de peso son sólo una parte de las estrategias más efectivas para tratar a un paciente con obesidad.
Cuando el doctor Andrew Kraftson desarrolla un plan con sus pacientes en el programa Weight Navigator (Navegación de Peso), de la Universidad de Michigan, éste implica una “mezcla perfecta” de intervención conductual, educación sobre salud y dieta, y posiblemente fármacos contra la obesidad.
Pero con los pacientes de Medicare, tiene limitaciones respecto a lo que puede recetar.
“Una prohibición general para el uso de medicamentos contra la obesidad es una manera anticuada de pensar y no reconoce a la obesidad como una enfermedad, y está perpetuando las disparidades en la salud”, señaló Kraftson. “No soy tan ignorante como para pensar que Medicare debería simplemente comenzar a cubrir tratamientos caros para todos. Pero hay algo entre el todo y la nada”.
Durante la última década, los legisladores han introducido algunas variaciones a la ley que permitirían a Medicare cubrir los medicamentos para bajar de peso. Pero el proyecto de ley de este año ha despertado el interés de más de 60 legisladores, desde el representante republicano por Arizona David Schweikert, un autoproclamado intransigente presupuestario, hasta la representante progresista Judy Chu, de California.
La aprobación es una prioridad para dos legisladores: Wenstrup y el senador Tom Carper, de Delaware, antes de que se jubilen el próximo año.
Las empresas farmacéuticas también se preparan para un cabildeo intenso este año, cuando los medicamentos obtengan la aprobación de la FDA para utilizarse para bajar de peso.
“Los estadounidenses deberían tener acceso a los medicamentos que sus médicos creen que deberían tomar”, dijo Stephen Ubl, presidente del grupo de cabildeo Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (Investigación y Fabricantes Farmacéuticos de Estados Unidos), en una llamada con periodistas el mes pasado. “Pedimos que Medicare cubra estos medicamentos”.
Novo Nordisk ya ha empleado a ocho empresas distintas y ha gastado casi 20 millones de dólares en cabildeo ante el gobierno federal en varios temas, incluida la Ley para Tratar y Reducir la Obesidad, desde 2020, según muestran documentos informativos. Eli Lilly ha gastado aproximadamente 2,4 millones de dólares en cabildeo desde 2021.
Los defensores de grupos como The Obesity Society, dedicado al estudio y tratamiento de la obesidad, han presionado durante años para que Medicare cubra los medicamentos. Pero el impulso podría estar cambiando gracias a la creciente evidencia de que los fármacos para tratar la obesidad pueden prevenir accidentes cerebrovasculares, ataques cardiacos e incluso la muerte, dijo Ted Kyle, asesor de políticas.
“La conversación ha pasado de debatir si vale la pena el tratamiento de la obesidad a descubrir cómo hacer que funcione en lo económico”, añadió. “Por esto ahora creo que el cambio es inevitable”.
Integrantes de diferentes 'Caracoles' (Comunidades de la región), representan con obras de teatro político social, donde visualizaron la transformación social para lograr el cambio, el 31 de diciembre de 2023, en el municipio de Ocosingo en el estado de Chiapas (México). EFE/Carlos López
El Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) celebra este primero de enero 30 años de su levantamiento contra el Gobierno mexicano y el neoliberalismo, con una fiesta para reivindicar los derechos de los pueblos originarios, que afrontan una nueva ola de violencia del crimen organizado y desplazamiento forzado.
“No hay más que dos cosas: que la propiedad debe de ser del pueblo y común; y que el pueblo tiene que gobernarse en sí mismo” dijo Moisés, vocero del EZLN durante un discurso en la celebración de las tres décadas del levantamiento armado.
Agregó que no necesitaban de “esos” que están en el poder pues criticó que ellos creen que saben todo, “deciden por los maestros, doctores, deciden por todos los sectores de trabajadores, es por eso que decimos: ¡no, el pueblo tiene que saber gobernarse! Eso lo demostramos hace 30 años”.
El insurgente aplaudió la participación de los jóvenes e invitó a no rendirse y poner en práctica lo aprendido desde el lugar donde se encuentren para poder sobrevivir y hacer el cambio pues “nadie lo va hacer más que uno mismo”, apuntó.
Cientos de simpatizantes del movimiento, procedentes de México y otros países, se concentraron en la selva lacandona en el caracol Dolores Hidalgo, Ocosingo, municipio del sureño estado de Chiapas, donde se gestó el movimiento zapatista en 1994.
Juan Villoro, escritor y periodista mexicano, señaló que el zapatismo tiene una influencia muy rica en la cultura mexicana pero también mundial porque pusieron en la mesa de la modernidad el tema indígena, y cómo han transformado su territorio.
“La muestra es aquí en los caracoles (…) donde hay niveles de justicia social, salud, educación, un combate a la propiedad privada de la tierra, una participación colectiva”, dijo el escritor.
Resaltó que los zapatistas han demostrado que se puede hacer una policía de manera ética sin querer nada para ellos, sin quererse beneficiarse, a diferencia de los políticos “todo esto son lecciones para México y todo el mundo”, enfatizó.
En esta celebración, por primera vez, familiares y amigos de los milicianos fallecidos durante estos 30 años montaron un altar de 10 metros de largo con velas, flores y retratos de los milicianos, entre ellos la comandante Ramona y Enrique González, cabo del batallón de Patihuitz, quien cayó combatiendo el 1 de enero 1994.
El ejército insurgente destacó su “guerra contra el olvido” de los indígenas de Chiapas en un discurso a media noche tras desplegar un batallón de milicianos realizando movimientos rítmicos al son de cumbia.
Este encuentro se da en medio una crisis social y de seguridad que denunciaron los primeros días noviembre, lo que los ha orillado a la desaparición de sus «Municipios Autónomos Rebeldes», así como el cierre de sus centros culturales, por denunciar el impacto del crimen organizado en la región, donde los cárteles de Sinaloa y Jalisco Nueva Generación se pelean el territorio.
“Hay bloqueos, asaltos, secuestros, cobro de piso, reclutamiento forzado, balaceras. Esto es efecto del padrinazgo del gobierno del estado y de la disputa por los cargos que está en proceso. No son propuestas políticas las que se enfrentan, sino sociedades criminales. Entonces, pues claro, les decimos que, a diferencia de otros años, no es seguro”, dijo el subcomandante Moisés en un comunicado.
Durante el desarrollo de su celebración cientos de jóvenes zapatistas presentaron a los visitantes diversas obras de teatro político social, donde visualizan la transformación social para lograr el cambio.
A esta celebración acudieron intelectuales, escritores, artistas, así como los miembros del colectivo de gobiernos autónomos Zapatista (C.G. A.Z) entre ellos el subcomandante Marcos, quien hoy se presenta como Capitán y el Consejo Nacional Indígena.
Members of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, EZLN, attend an event marking the 30th anniversary of the Zapatista uprising in Dolores Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Members and supporters of the Zapatista indigenous rebel movement celebrated the 30th anniversary of their brief armed uprising in southern Mexico on Monday even as their social base erodes and violence spurred by drug cartels encroaches on their territory.
Hundreds gathered in the remote community of Dolores Hidalgo in the preceding days to mark the occasion. Some 1,500 young Zapatistas donning uniforms — black balaclavas, green caps and red kerchiefs — stood in formation listening to speeches early Monday.
Subcommander Moises — his nom de guerre — called for the Zapatistas to continue organizing themselves to fight to maintain their autonomy, freedom and democracy.
“We’re alone, like 30 years ago, because alone we have found the new path that we are going to follow,” Moises said. He noted the continuing need to defend their communities from violence. “We don’t need to kill soldiers and bad governments, but if they come we’re going to defend ourselves.”
In November, it was Subcommander Moises who sent a statement saying the Zapatistas had decided to dissolve the “autonomous municipalities” they had established.
At the time, Moises cited the waves of gang violence that have hit the area of Chiapas that borders Guatemala, but did not say whether that was a reason for dissolving the townships. The area held by the Zapatistas includes land near the border.
Details about what will replace the autonomous municipalities remain scarce, but it appears they will reorganize at more of a community level.
The Zapatistas were launched publicly on Jan. 1, 1994 to demand greater Indigenous rights.
Hilario Lorenzo Ruiz saw a number of his friends die in those early days of clashes with the Mexican army in Ocosingo, one of the five municipalities the Zapatistas took control of in January 1994.
Years later he left, demoralized by the movement’s limited results in areas like health access, education, land reform and employment.
Reflecting this week, Ruiz said perhaps the movement’s greatest achievement was drawing the Mexican government’s and the world’s attention to the impoverished state of Chiapas. While some land was redistributed, access to basic services remains poor, he said.
“Even this improvement is relative, we can’t say we’re well, a lot is lacking,” Ruiz said. “Not even in the municipal center is the health service good. We come here to the hospital and there’s nothing.”
The levels of poverty now in Chiapas remain stubbornly similar to what they were 30 years ago when the Zapatistas appeared, according to government data.
Support for the movement has eroded with time and Ruiz lamented that younger generations have not carried the same convictions to maintain the struggle.
Gerardo Alberto González, a professor in the Department of Public Health at the Southern Border College in San Cristobal de las Casas, who has observed the Zapatistas for decades, said the group successfully transitioned from armed conflict to politics and achieved a level of autonomy and recognition for Mexico’s Indigenous peoples that hadn’t existed before.
González said the Zapatistas should be lauded for their contributions to Mexico’s democratization. But after 30 years, the Zapatistas’ ranks have been thinned by outward migration and the incursion of drug traffickers, he said.
González also faulted internal power struggles and a lack of turnover in leadership positions, which have been held by many of the same people for years.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is shown on April 8, 2023. From a hot dog vendor to head of the mercenary army Wagner Group, Prigozhin's rise through Russian society came to a sudden end when the plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded on Aug 23, 2023. (Photo: VOA/File)
Yevgeny Prigozhin rose from being an ex-con and hot dog vendor to winning lucrative Kremlin contracts and heading a formidable mercenary army. But it all came to a sudden end when the private plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded over Russia.
Prigozhin’s Aug. 23 death put an exclamation point on what had already been an eventful year for the brutal mercenary leader. His Wagner Group troops brought Russia a rare victory in its grinding war in Ukraine, capturing the city of Bakhmut. But internal friction with Russian military leaders later burst into the open, with Prigozhin briefly mounting an armed rebellion — the most severe challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule.
The rebellion was called off and a deal was struck in less than 24 hours. However, just two months later, Prigozhin joined the list of those who have run afoul of the Kremlin and died unexpectedly.
He was just one of a number of noteworthy people who died in 2023.
The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Serving under two presidents, Kissinger’s shadow loomed large in the foreign policy arena, prompting both admiration and criticism from around the globe. And he continued his involvement in global affairs even in his final months.
Another political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. She was the closest adviser to her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, during his one term in the White House and then across four decades of global humanitarian work.
Others from the world of politics who died this year include: former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi; former U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley and James Abourezk; former British treasury chief Nigel Lawson; former Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang; former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari; former New Mexico governor and American ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson; former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver; and former Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos.
Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Turner’s powerful voice and stage presence brought her fame across multiple decades, first with her abusive husband, Ike Turner, in the 1960’s and 70’s. But after leaving their marriage, she found fame again in the 1980’s with her hit «What’s Love Got to Do With It.»
Others in the world of arts and entertainment who died this year include: actors Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree and Tom Sizemore; musicians Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee and Tony Bennett; civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte; TV producer Norman Lear; author Cormac McCarthy; filmmaker William Friedkin; TV hosts Bob Barker and Jerry Springer; poet Louise Glück; guitarist Jeff Beck; fashion designer Mary Quant; wrestler The Iron Sheik; composer Kaija Saariaho; and «Sesame Street» co-creator Lloyd Morrisett.
Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023:
JANUARY
Fred White, 67. A drummer who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire. Jan. 1.
Ken Block, 55. A motorsports icon known for his stunt driving and for co-founding the action sports apparel brand DC Shoes. Jan. 2. Snowmobiling accident.
Walter Cunningham, 90. The last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program. Jan. 3.
Fay Weldon, 91. A British author known for her sharp wit and acerbic observations about women’s experiences and sexual politics in novels including «The Life And Loves Of A She-Devil.» Jan. 4.
Russell Pearce, 75. A Republican lawmaker who was the driving force behind Arizona’s landmark 2010 anti-immigration legislation known as the «show me your papers» law. Jan. 5.
Charles Simic, 84. The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who awed critics and readers with his singular art of lyricism and economy, tragic insight and disruptive humor. Jan. 9.
Lynette «Diamond» Hardaway, 51. An ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and one half of the conservative political commentary duo Diamond and Silk. Jan. 8.
Guitarist Jeff Beck performs at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 18, 2010 in New York. The guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll died Jan. 10, 2023, after contracting bacterial meningitis,” representatives said. (Photo: VOA/File)
Jeff Beck, 78. A guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player. Jan. 10.
Constantine, 82. The former and last king of Greece, who won an Olympic gold medal in sailing and spent decades in exile after becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s. Jan. 10.
Tatjana Patitz, 56. She was one of an elite group of supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and ’90s and appeared in George Michael’s «Freedom! ’90» music video. Jan. 11.
Lisa Marie Presley, 54. The only child of Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy. Jan. 12.
Robbie Knievel, 60. An American stunt performer who set records with daredevil motorcycle jumps following in the tire tracks of his thrill-seeking father Evel Knievel. Jan. 13.
Ray Cordeiro, 98. He interviewed music acts including the Beatles during a six-decade career on Hong Kong radio that earned him the title of the world’s longest-working disc jockey. Jan. 13.
Lloyd Morrisett, 93. The co-creator of the beloved children’s TV series «Sesame Street,» which has used empathy and fuzzy monsters like Elmo and Cookie Monster to charm and teach generations around the world. Jan. 15.
Italian film icon Gina Lollobrigida poses near a wall of celebrity photos in her villa in southern Rome December 7, 2006.(Photo: VOA/File)
Gina Lollobrigida, 95. An Italian film legend who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed «the most beautiful woman in the world» after the title of one of her movies. Jan. 16.
Chris Ford, 74. A member of the Boston Celtics 1981 championship team, a longtime NBA coach and the player credited with scoring the league’s first 3-point basket. Jan. 17.
David Crosby, 81. The brash rock musician who evolved from a baby-faced harmony singer with the Byrds to a mustachioed hippie superstar and troubadour in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Sept. 18.
Cindy Williams, 75. She was among the most recognizable stars in America in the 1970s and 1980s for her role as Shirley on the beloved sitcom «Laverne & Shirley.» Jan. 25.
Billy Packer, 82. An Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS. Jan. 26.
Sylvia Syms, 89. She starred in classic British films including «Ice Cold in Alex» and «Victim.» Jan. 27.
Motown’s Barrett Strong arrives at the induction ceremony for 35th annual National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York on June 10, 2004. (Photo: VOA/File)
Barrett Strong, 81. One of Motown’s founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company’s breakthrough single «Money (That’s What I Want)» and collaborated with Norman Whitfield on such classics as «I Heard It Through the Grapevine,» «War» and «Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.» Jan. 28.
Tom Verlaine, 73. The guitarist and co-founder of the seminal proto-punk band Television who influenced many bands while playing at ultra-cool downtown New York music venue CBGB alongside the Ramones, Patti Smith and Talking Heads. Jan. 28.
Bobby Hull, 84. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final. Jan. 30.
FEBRUARY
Paco Rabanne, 88. The Spanish-born designer known for perfumes sold worldwide but who made his name with metallic space-age fashions that put a bold, new edge on catwalks. Feb. 3.
Harry Whittington, 95. The man who former Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot while they were hunting quail on a Texas ranch more than 17 years ago. Feb. 4.
Hsing Yun, 95. A Buddhist abbot who established a thriving religious community in southern Taiwan and built universities overseas. Feb. 5.
President of Pakistan Gen. Pervez Musharraf salutes on April 9, 2002, at a rally in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo: VOA/File)
Pervez Musharraf, 79. The general who seized power in a bloodless coup and later led a reluctant Pakistan into aiding the U.S. war in Afghanistan against the Taliban. Feb. 5.
Burt Bacharach, 94. The singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of «Walk on By,» «Do You Know the Way to San Jose» and dozens of other hits. Feb. 8.
Carlos Saura, 91. Spain’s celebrated filmmaker who earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Language Film during his seven-decade career. Feb. 10.
Hugh Hudson, 86. A British filmmaker who debuted as a feature director with the Oscar-winning Olympics drama «Chariots of Fire» and made other well-regarded movies including «My Life So Far» and the Oscar-nominated «Greystroke.» Feb. 10.
Hans Modrow, 95. He served as East Germany’s last communist leader during a turbulent tenure that ended in the country’s first and only free election. Feb. 11.
David Jude Jolicoeur, 54. Widely known as Trugoy the Dove, he was one of the founding members of the Long Island hip hop trio De La Soul. Feb. 12.
Huey «Piano» Smith, 89. A beloved New Orleans session musician who backed Little Richard, Lloyd Price and other early rock stars, and with his own group made the party favorites «Don’t You Just Know It» and «Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu.» Feb. 13.
Leiji Matsumoto, 85. The anime creator known for «Space Battleship Yamato» and other classics using a fantastical style and antiwar themes. Feb. 13.
Raquel Welch at the world premiere of The Flight of the Phoenix, at the Carlton Theatre, Haymarket in London, Jan. 20, 1966. (Photo: VOA/File)
Raquel Welch, 82. Her emergence from the sea in a skimpy, furry bikini in the film «One Million Years B.C.» propelled her to international sex symbol status in the 1960s and ’70s. Feb. 15.
Tim McCarver, 81. The All-Star catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster who during 60 years in baseball won two World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals and had a long run as one of the country’s most recognized, incisive and talkative television commentators. Feb. 16.
Stella Stevens, 84. A prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis’s affection in «The Nutty Professor.» Feb. 17.
Richard Belzer attends the premiere of «Mistaken For Strangers» during the opening night of the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on April 17, 2013, in New York. (Photo: VOA)
Richard Belzer, 78. The longtime stand-up comedian who became one of TV’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in «Homicide: Life on the Street» and «Law & Order: SVU.» Feb. 19.
Ahmed Qureia, 85. A former Palestinian prime minister and one of the architects of interim peace deals with Israel. Feb. 22.
James Abourezk, 92. A South Dakota Democrat who grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, became the first Arab American U.S. senator and was known for his quick wit as he advocated for populist causes. Feb. 24.
Betty Boothroyd, 93. The first female speaker of Britain’s House of Commons. Feb. 26.
Ricou Browning, 93. A skilled swimmer best known for his underwater role as the Gill Man in the quintessential 3D black-and-white 1950s monster movie «Creature from the Black Lagoon.» Feb. 27.
Gerard Latortue attends the 11th general conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization at the Austria Center in Vienna, Nov. 28, 2005. (Photo: VOA/File)
Gerard Latortue, 88. A former interim prime minister of Haiti who helped rebuild and unite the country after a violent coup in the mid-2000s. Feb. 27.
MARCH
Just Fontaine, 89. The French soccer great who scored a record 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup. March 1.
Barbara Everitt Bryant, 96. The first woman to run the U.S. Census Bureau and its leader during the contentious debate over how to compensate for undercounts of minority groups in the 1990 census. March 2.
Actor Tom Sizemore arrives at the premiere of ‘The Expendables 3,’ in Los Angeles, Aug. 11, 2014. (Photo: VOA/File)
Tom Sizemore, 61. The «Saving Private Ryan» actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions. March 3.
Kenzaburo Oe, 88. The Nobel literature laureate whose darkly poetic novels were built from his childhood memories during Japan’s postwar occupation and from being the parent of a disabled son. March 3.
Judy Heumann, 75. A renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities. March 4.
Gary Rossington, 71. A co-founder and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd who helped write the classic answer song «Sweet Home Alabama» and played unforgettable slide guitar on the rock anthem «Free Bird.» March 5.
Georgina Beyer, 65. A trailblazing New Zealand politician who in 1999 became the world’s first openly transgender member of Parliament. March 6.
Traute Lafrenz, 103. She was the last known survivor of a German group known as the White Rose that actively resisted the Nazis. March 6.
Peterson Zah, 85. A monumental Navajo Nation leader who guided the tribe through a politically tumultuous era and worked tirelessly to correct wrongdoings against Native Americans. March 7.
Chaim Topol, 87. A leading Israeli actor who charmed generations of theatergoers and movie-watchers with his portrayal of Tevye, the long-suffering and charismatic milkman in «Fiddler on the Roof.» March 8.
Robert Blake speaks in April 1977 in Los Angeles. Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted of murdering his wife, died March 9, 2023, at age 89. (Photo: VOA/File)
Robert Blake, 89. The Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife. March 9.
Jiang Yanyong, 91. A Chinese military doctor who revealed the full extent of the 2003 SARS outbreak and was later placed under house arrest for his political outspokenness. March 11.
Bud Grant, 95. The stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in eight years and lost all of them. March 11.
Dick Fosbury, 76. The lanky leaper who revamped the technical discipline of high jump and won an Olympic gold medal with his «Fosbury Flop.» March 12.
Pat Schroeder speaks to a reporter during an interview at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 30, 1999. (Photo: VOA/File)
Pat Schroeder, 82. A pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress. March 13.
Gloria Bosman, age unknown. A smooth-voiced South African jazz musician who was lauded for her contribution to the country’s music industry in a career spanning more than two decades. March 14.
Jacqueline Gold, 62. She helped make lingerie and sex toys a female-friendly mainstream business as head of Britain’s Ann Summers chain. March 16.
Lance Reddick, 60. A character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including «The Wire,» «Fringe» and the «John Wick» franchise. March 17.
John Jenrette, 86. The former U.S. congressman was a colorful politician who was convicted in the Abscam bribery scandal in the late 1970s and whose wife talked to Playboy about an in-session dalliance on the U.S. Capitol steps. March 17.
Fito Olivares, 75. A Tejano musician known for songs that were wedding and quinceanera mainstays, including the hit «Juana La Cubana.» March 17.
Willis Reed, 80. He dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports’ most enduring examples of playing through pain. March 21.
Darcelle XV, 92. The iconic drag queen who was crowned the world’s oldest working drag performer in 2016 by the Guinness Book of World Records. March 23.
Paul O’Grady, 67. An entertainer who achieved fame as drag queen Lily Savage before becoming a much-loved comedian and host on British television. March 28.
Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, speaks at the ‘Nissan Leaf The New Owner’s Meeting’ in Tokyo on March 18, 2012. (Photo: VOA/File)
Ryuichi Sakamoto, 71. A world-renowned Japanese musician and actor who composed for Hollywood hits such as «The Last Emperor» and «The Revenant.» March 28.
Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, 99. A bridal industry pioneer and Holocaust survivor who decided over a half century ago that brides deserved better than cookie-cutter dresses. March 29.
APRIL
Nigel Lawson, 91. The tax-cutting U.K. Treasury chief under the late Margaret Thatcher and a lion of Conservative politics in the late 20th century. April 3.
Benjamin Ferencz, Romanian-born American lawyer and chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg war crimes trials, speaks during an opening ceremony for the exhibition commemorating the Nuremberg war crimes trials in Nuremberg, Germany, Nov. 21, 2010. (Photo: VOA/File)
Ben Ferencz, 103. The last living prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, who tried Nazis for genocidal war crimes and was among the first outside witnesses to document the atrocities of Nazi labor and concentration camps. April 7.
Elisabeth Kopp, 86. An advocate of equal rights and the environment who was the first woman elected to Switzerland’s seven-member executive branch. April. 7.
Michael Lerner, 81. The Brooklyn-born character actor who played a myriad of imposing figures in his 60 years in the business, including monologuing movie mogul Jack Lipnick in «Barton Fink,» the crooked club owner Bugsy Calhoun in «Harlem Nights» and an angry publishing executive in «Elf.» April 8.
Anne Perry, 84. The best-selling crime novelist known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk detective series, and for her own murderous past that inspired the movie «Heavenly Creatures.» April 10.
Mad Magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee attends an event to honor veteran contributors of MAD Magazine at the Savannah College of Art and Design and the National Cartoonists Society on Oct. 11, 2011 in Savannah, Ga. (Photo: VOA/File)
Al Jaffee, 102. Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and ageless wise guy who delighted millions of kids with the sneaky fun of the Fold-In and the snark of «Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.» April 10.
Mary Quant, 93. The visionary fashion designer whose colorful, sexy miniskirts epitomized Swinging London in the 1960s and influenced youth culture around the world. April 13.
Charles Stanley, 90. A prominent televangelist who once led the Southern Baptist Convention. April 18.
Richard Riordan, 92. A wealthy Republican businessman who served two terms as Los Angeles mayor and steered the city through the Northridge earthquake and the recovery from the deadly 1992 riots. April 19.
Todd Haimes, 66. He led the Roundabout Theatre Company from an off-off-Broadway company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy into a major theatrical force with works on five stages — including three Broadway theaters — and dozens of Tony Awards. April 19.
Barry Humphries, 89. A Tony Award-winning comedian internationally renowned for his garish stage persona Dame Edna Everage, a condescending and imperfectly-veiled snob whose evolving character delighted audiences over seven decades. April 22.
Len Goodman, 78. A long-serving judge on «Dancing with the Stars» and «Strictly Come Dancing» who helped revive interest in ballroom dancing on both sides of the Atlantic. April 22.
Actor and singer Harry Belafonte poses for a portrait at a New York recording studio, Nov. 1, 2001. (Photo: VOA/File)
Harry Belafonte, 96. The civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world. April 25.
Carolyn Bryant Donham, 88. The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances leading to his lynching in Mississippi in 1955. April 25.
Jerry Springer, 79. The onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional guests willing to bare all — sometimes literally — as they brawled and hurled obscenities before a raucous audience. April 27.
LeRoy «Lee» Carhart, 81. He emerged from a two-decade career as an Air Force surgeon to become one of the best-known late-term abortion providers in the United States. April 28.
Larry «Gator» Rivers, 73. He helped integrate high school basketball in Georgia before playing for the Harlem Globetrotters and becoming a county commissioner in his native Savannah. April 29.
MAY
inger-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, strums backstage at the Westbury Music Fair on Sept. 8, 1987, in Westbury, N.Y. Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits include “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,» died on May 1, 2023.(Photo: VOA/Archivo)
Gordon Lightfoot, 84. The legendary folk singer-songwriter known for «If You Could Read My Mind» and «Sundown» and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity. May 1.
Tori Bowie, 32. The sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. May 2. Complications of childbirth.
Vida Blue, 73. A hard-throwing left-hander who became one of baseball’s biggest draws in the early 1970s and helped lead the brash A’s to three straight World Series titles before his career was derailed by drug problems. May 6.
Grace Bumbry, 86. A pioneering mezzo-soprano who became the first Black singer to perform at Germany’s Bayreuth Festival during a more than three-decade career on the world’s top stages. May 7.
Rita Lee Jones, 75. Brazil’s million-selling «Queen of Rock» who gained an international following through her colorful and candid style and such hits as «Ovelha Negra,» «Mania de Você» and «Now Only Missing You.» May 8.
Denny Crum, 86. He won two NCAA men’s basketball championships and built Louisville into one of the 1980s’ dominant programs during a Hall of Fame coaching career. May 9.
Heather Armstrong, 47. Known as Dooce to fans, the pioneering mommy blogger laid bare her struggles as a mother and her battles with depression and alcoholism on her website and on social media. May 9.
Jacklyn Zeman, 70. She played Bobbie Spencer for 45 years on ABC’s «General Hospital.» May 9.
Rolf Harris, 93. The veteran entertainer whose decades-long career as a family favorite on British and Australian television was shattered when he was convicted of sexual assaults on young girls. May 10.
Kenneth Anger, 96. The shocking and influential avant-garde artist who defied sexual and religious taboos in short films such as «Scorpio Rising» and «Fireworks,» and dished the most lurid movie star gossip in his underground classic «Hollywood Babylon.» May 11.
Doyle Brunson, 89. One of the most influential poker players of all time and a two-time world champion. May 14.
Jim Brown, Hall of Fame running back for the Cleveland Browns, is shown in action against the New York Giants in Cleveland, Ohio, on Nov. 14, 1965. The NFL legend, actor and social activist died at his Los Angeles home on May 18, 2023. He was 87. (Photo: VOA/File)
Jim Brown, 87. The pro football Hall of Famer was an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s. May 18.
Timothy Keller, 72. A pastor and best-selling author who founded the influential Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. May 19.
Andy Rourke, 59. Bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s. May 19.
Ray Stevenson, 58. The Irish actor who played the villainous British governor in «RRR,» an Asgardian warrior in the «Thor» films, and a member of the 13th Legion in HBO’s «Rome.» May 21.
Ed Ames, 95. The youngest member of the popular 1950s singing group the Ames Brothers, who later became a successful actor in television and musical theater. May 21.
The Year in Review. (Photo: VOA/File)
Tina Turner, 83. The unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping «What’s Love Got to Do With It.» May 24.
George Maharis, 94. A stage-trained actor with rough-hewn good looks who became an icon to American youth in the 1960s as he cruised the country in a Corvette convertible in the hit television series «Route 66.» May 24.
Carroll Cooley, 87. The retired Phoenix police captain was the arresting officer in the landmark case partially responsible for the Supreme Court’s Miranda rights ruling that requires suspects be read their rights. May 29.
John Beasley, 79. The veteran character actor who played a kindly school bus driver on the TV drama «Everwood» and appeared in dozens of films dating back to the 1980s. May 30.
Deputy Prime Minister of Greece proceeds during a commercial agreement signing ceremony at the foreign ministry in Athens, June 15, 2010. (Photo: VOA/File)
Theodoros Pangalos, 84. A former Greek foreign minister known for his undiplomatic outbursts and on whose watch Greece suffered one of its most embarrassing foreign policy debacles in 1999. May 31.
JUNE
Kaija Saariaho, 70. She wrote acclaimed works that made her the among the most prominent composers of the 21st century. June 2.
George Winston, 73. The Grammy-winning pianist who blended jazz, classical, folk and other stylings on such million-selling albums as «Autumn,» «Winter Into Spring» and «December.» June 4.
Astrud Gilberto, 83. The Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer whose off-hand, English-language cameo on «The Girl from Ipanema» made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova. June 5.
A 1998 photo of Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent who was sentence to life in prison for spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia. (Photo: VOA/File)
Robert Hanssen, 79. A former FBI agent who took more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds to trade secrets with Moscow in one of the most notorious spying cases in American history. June 5.
Richard Snyder, 90. A visionary and imperious executive at Simon & Schuster who in bold-faced style presided over the publisher’s exponential rise during the second half of the 20th century and helped define an era of consolidation and growing corporate power. June 6.
Françoise Gilot, 101. A prolific and acclaimed painter who created art for more than a half-century but was nonetheless more famous for her turbulent relationship with Pablo Picasso — and for leaving him. June 6.
The Iron Sheik, 81. A former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality. June 7.
Pat Robertson, 93. A religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president, and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition. June 8.
This June 21, 1996, photo shows Theodore «Ted» Kaczynski. (Photo: VOA/File)
Theodore «Ted» Kaczynski, 81. Branded the «Unabomber» by the FBI, he was the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. June 10.
Roger Payne, 88. The scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing. June 10.
Silvio Berlusconi, 86. The boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy’s longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption. June 12.
Treat Williams, 71. An actor whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series «Everwood» and the movie «Hair.» June 12. Motorcycle crash.
Cormac McCarthy, 89. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who in prose both dense and brittle took readers from the southern Appalachians to the desert Southwest in novels including «The Road,» «Blood Meridian» and «All the Pretty Horses.» June 13.
Glenda Jackson, 87. A two-time Academy Award-winning performer who had a second career as a British lawmaker before an acclaimed late-life return to stage and screen. June 15.
Vietnam-era whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Dec. 16, 2010.
Daniel Ellsberg, 92. The history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation. June 16.
Big Pokey, 48. A popular Texas rapper and original member of Houston’s pioneering Screwed Up Click. June 18.
George Frazier, 68. The former pitcher was a World Series champion who had a nearly three-decade run as a television broadcaster. June 19.
H. Lee Sarokin, 94. The federal judge who freed boxer Rubin «Hurricane» Carter and in a landmark case famously said tobacco companies engaged in a «vast» conspiracy to conceal the dangers of smoking. June 20.
Winnie Ewing, 93. A charismatic politician who is considered the mother of the modern Scottish independence movement. June 21.
Sheldon Harnick, 99. A Tony- and Grammy Award-winning lyricist who with composer Jerry Bock made up the premier musical-theater songwriting duos of the 1950s and 1960s with shows such as «Fiddler on the Roof,» «Fiorello!» and «The Apple Tree.» June 23.
John Goodenough, 100. He shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work developing the lithium-ion battery that transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones, computers, and pacemakers to electric cars. June 25.
Peg Yorkin, 96. She donated $10 million to the Feminist Majority Foundation, which she co-founded and pushed to bring the most common method of abortion to the United States. June 25.
Sue Johanson, 93. A nurse who became a popular TV sex expert in Canada and the United States when she was in her 60s. June 28.
Alan Arkin, 89. The wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in everything from farcical comedy to chilling drama, receiving four Academy Award nominations and winning an Oscar in 2007 for «Little Miss Sunshine.» June 29.
JULY
Yan Mingfu, 91. A former top Communist Party figure who acted as an envoy to pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 and was forced out after the protests were crushed. July 3.
John Berylson, 70. An American businessman known for his enthusiastic ownership of the English soccer team Millwall. July 4. Car crash.
Hong Kong singer Coco Lee performs during a mini concert as celebrating an opening ceremony of a new hotel in Hong Kong, Aug. 19, 2005. Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer who had a highly successful career in Asia, died July 5, 2023.
Coco Lee, 48. A Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia. July 5.
James Lewis, 76. The suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area, triggered a nationwide scare and led to an overhaul in the safety of over-the-counter medication packaging. July 9.
Mikala Jones, 44. A Hawaii surfer known for shooting awe-inspiring photos and videos from the inside of massive, curling waves. July 9. Surfing accident.
André Watts, 77. A pianist whose televised debut with the New York Philharmonic as a 16-year-old in 1963 launched an international career of more than a half-century. July 12.
Jane Birkin, 76. An actor and singer who made France her home and charmed the country with her English grace, natural style and social activism. July 16.
Kevin Mitnick, 59. His pioneering antics tricking employees in the 1980s and 1990s into helping him steal software and services from big phone and tech companies made him the most celebrated U.S. hacker. July 16.
Tony Bennett, 96. The eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as «I Left My Heart In San Francisco» graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga. July 21.
Hugh «Sonny» Carter Jr., 80. He was an organizer in the «Peanut Brigade» that helped elect his cousin Jimmy to the White House and later enforced the president’s frugal ways in the West Wing. July 23.
Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor performs on the first night of the Toender Folk Music Festival in Toender, Denmark, Aug. 23, 2013. O’Connor has died at 56, her family said July 26, 2023. (Photo: VOA/File)
Sinéad O’Connor, 56. The gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s was as much known for her private struggles and provocative actions as her fierce and expressive music. July 26.
Randy Meisner, 77. A founding member of the Eagles who added high harmonies to such favorites as «Take It Easy» and «The Best of My Love» and stepped out front for the waltz-time ballad «Take It to the Limit.» July 26.
Paul Reubens, 70. The actor and comedian whose Pee-wee Herman character — an overgrown child with a tight gray suit and an unforgettable laugh — became a 1980s pop cultural phenomenon. July 30.
Angus Cloud, 25. The actor who starred as the drug dealer Fezco «Fez» O’Neill on the HBO series «Euphoria.» July 31.
AUGUST
Sheila Oliver, 71. The New Jersey lieutenant governor rose to become one of the state’s most prominent Black leaders and passionately advocated for revitalizing cities and against gun violence. Aug. 1.
Mark Margolis, 83. The Emmy-nominated actor who played murderous former drug kingpin Hector Salamanca in «Breaking Bad» and then in the prequel «Better Call Saul.» Aug. 3.
William Friedkin, 87. The Oscar-winning director who became a top filmmaker in his 30s with the gripping «The French Connection» and the horrifying «The Exorcist» and struggled in the following decades to match his early success. Aug. 7.
Sixto Rodriguez, 81. He lived in obscurity as his music career flamed out early in the U.S. only to find success in South Africa and a stardom of which he was unaware. Aug. 8.
Robbie Robertson, 80. The Band’s lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as «The Weight» and «Up on Cripple Creek» mined American music and folklore and helped reshape contemporary rock. Aug. 9.
Tom Jones, 95. The lyricist, director and writer of «The Fantasticks,» the longest-running musical in history. Aug. 11.
Magoo, 50. The rapper known for his work in the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo and hit song «Up Jumps da Boogie» featuring Aaliyah and Missy Elliott. Aug. 13.
Clarence Avant, 92. The judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and was known as the «Black Godfather» of music and beyond. Aug. 13.
Ada Deer, assistant Interior Secretary for Indian Affairs, meets reporters at the Interior Department, Sept. 7, 1995, in Washington. Deer, an esteemed Native American leader from Wisconsin and the first woman to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs, died at age 88. (Photo: VOA/File)
Ada Deer, 88. An esteemed Native American leader from Wisconsin and the first woman to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Aug. 15.
Jerry Moss, 88. A music industry giant who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert and rose from a Los Angeles garage to the heights of success with hits by Alpert, the Police, the Carpenters and hundreds of other performers. Aug. 16.
Michael Parkinson, 88. The renowned British broadcaster who interviewed some of the world’s most famous celebrities of the 20th century from Muhammad Ali to Miss Piggy. Aug. 16.
Jiri Cerny, 87. A legendary Czech music critic who introduced Western music to generations of listeners behind the Iron Curtain and became one of the voices of the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution. Aug. 17.
Betty Tyson, 75. Convicted in a 1973 murder, she spent 25 years in prison before being exonerated on the basis of new evidence. Aug. 17.
James Buckley, 100. The former New York senator was an early agitator for then-President Richard Nixon’s resignation and winner of a landmark lawsuit challenging campaign spending limits. Aug. 18.
John Warnock, 82. The Silicon Valley entrepreneur and computer scientist who helped invent the PDF and co-founded Adobe Systems. Aug. 19.
Ron Cephas Jones, 66. A veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series «This Is Us.» Aug. 19.
Howard Hubbard, 84. A retired Catholic bishop who acknowledged covering up allegations of sexual abuse in his upstate New York diocese and later married a woman in a civil ceremony. Aug. 19.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62. As head of the Wagner Group, he made his name as a profane and brutal mercenary boss before mounting an armed rebellion that was the most severe and shocking challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Aug. 23. Plane crash.
Game show host Bob Barker, 83, waves goodbye as he tapes his final episode of «The Price Is Right» in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (Photo: VOA/File)
Bob Barker, 99. The enduring, dapper game show host who became a household name over a half century of hosting «Truth or Consequences» and «The Price Is Right.» Aug. 26.
Samuel «Joe» Wurzelbacher, 49. He was thrust into the political spotlight as «Joe the Plumber» after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign. Aug. 27.
Gil Brandt, 91. The Pro Football Hall of Fame member was the player personnel director alongside the stoic, fedora-wearing coach Tom Landry and media-savvy general manager Tex Schramm as part of the trio that built the Dallas Cowboys into «America’s Team» in the 1970s. Aug. 31.
Singer Jimmy Buffett is shown on Nov. 7, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Buffett popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions. (Photo: VOA/File)
Jimmy Buffett, 76. The singer-songwriter who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song «Margaritaville» and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions. Sept. 1.
Bill Richardson, 75. A two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations who dedicated his post-political career to working to secure the release of Americans detained by foreign adversaries. Sept. 1.
Steve Harwell, 56. The longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth that was behind the megahit «All Star.» Sept. 4. Acute liver failure.
Shabtai Shavit, 84. The Israeli spymaster who was credited with advancing Israel’s historic peace treaty with Jordan during his term as director of the Mossad intelligence agency. Sept. 5.
Ian Wilmut, 79. The cloning pioneer whose work was critical to the creation of Dolly the Sheep in 1996. Sept. 9.
Controversial South African politician and traditional minister of South Africa’s large Zulu ethnic group, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, in traditional dress March 26, 2009. (Photo: VOA/File)
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, 95. The controversial South African politician and traditional minister of the Zulu ethnic group. Sept. 9.
Roy Kidd, 91. He coached Eastern Kentucky to two NCAA Division I-AA football championships in a Hall of Fame career. Sept. 12.
Eno Ichikawa, 83. He revived the spectacular in Japanese Kabuki theater to woo younger and global audiences. Sept. 13.
Michael McGrath, 65. A Broadway character actor who shined in zany, feel-good musicals and won a Tony Award for «Nice Work If You Can Get It.» Sept. 14.
Fernando Botero, 91. A renowned Colombian painter and sculptor whose depictions of people and objects in plump, exaggerated forms became emblems of Colombian art around the world. Sept. 15.
Giorgio Napolitano, 98. The first former Communist to rise to Italy’s presidency and the first person to be elected twice to the mostly ceremonial post. Sept. 22.
Matteo Messina Denaro, 61. A convicted mastermind of some of the Sicilian Mafia’s most heinous slayings, Italy’s No. 1 fugitive was captured after decades on the run. Sept. 25. Died in a prison hospital.
David McCallum, 90. The actor who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series «The Man From U.N.C.L.E.» in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular «NCIS» 40 years later. Sept. 25.
Dianne Feinstein, 90. A centrist Democrat from California and champion of liberal causes who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics. Sept. 28.
Michael Gambon, 82. The Irish-born actor knighted for his storied career on the stage and screen who gained admiration from a new generation of moviegoers with his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight «Harry Potter» films. Sept. 28.
Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, 98. A renowned agricultural scientist who revolutionized India’s farming and was a key architect of the country’s «Green Revolution.» Sept. 28.
Saad Eddin Ibrahim died Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo: VOA/File)
Saad Eddin Ibrahim, 85. A prominent Egyptian American academic and pro-democracy activist during the reign of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Sept. 29.
OCTOBER
Tim Wakefield, 57. The knuckleballing workhorse of the Red Sox pitching staff who bounced back after giving up a season-ending home run to the Yankees in the 2003 playoffs to help Boston win its curse-busting World Series title the following year. Oct. 1.
Dick Butkus, 80. A Hall of Fame middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears whose speed and ferocity set the standards for the position in the modern era. Oct. 5.
Michael Chiarello, 61. A chef known for his Italian-inspired Californian restaurants who won an Emmy Award for best host for «Easy Entertaining With Michael Chiarello» and appeared on Bravo’s «Top Chef» and «Top Chef Masters.» Oct. 6. Allergic reaction that resulted in anaphylactic shock.
Burt Young, 83. The Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie, the rough-hewn, mumbling-and-grumbling best friend, corner-man and brother-in-law to Sylvester Stallone in the «Rocky» franchise. Oct. 8.
Hughes Van Ellis, a Tulsa Race Massacre survivor and World War II veteran, left, takes a pastry from a tray held by attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, right, as he waits in a horse-drawn carriage for a protest march, May 28, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. (Photo: VOA/File)
Hughes Van Ellis, 102. He was the youngest known survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre and spent his latter years pursuing justice for his family and other descendants of the attack on «Black Wall Street.» Oct. 9.
Kevin Phillips, 82. The author, commentator and political strategist whose landmark book, «The Emerging Republican Majority,» became a blueprint for GOP thinking in the 1970s and beyond. Oct. 9
Louise Meriwether, 100. The author and activist whose coming-of-age novel «Daddy Was a Number Runner» is widely regarded as a groundbreaking and vital portrait of race, gender and class. Oct. 10.
Mark Goddard, 87. An actor best known for playing Major Don West in the 1960s television show «Lost in Space.» Oct. 10.
Rudolph Isley, 84. A founding member of the Isley Brothers who helped perform such raw rhythm and blues classics as «Shout» and «Twist and Shout» and the funky hits «That Lady» and «It’s Your Thing.» Oct. 11.
Louise Glück, 80. The Nobel laureate was a poet of unblinking candor and perception who wove classical allusions, philosophical reveries, bittersweet memories and humorous asides into indelible portraits of a fallen and heartrending world. Oct. 13.
Piper Laurie, 91. The strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a «more meaningful» life. Oct. 14.
Suzanne Somers, 76. The effervescent blonde actor who played Chrissy Snow on the television show «Three’s Company» and later became an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author. Oct. 15.
Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari attends a luncheon of political journalists, in Helsinki on Feb.16, 2016. (Photo: VOA/File)
Martti Ahtisaari, 86. The former president of Finland and global peace broker who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts. Oct. 16.
Bobby Charlton, 86. An English soccer icon who survived a plane crash that decimated a Manchester United team destined for greatness to become the heartbeat of his country’s 1966 World Cup triumph. Oct. 21.
Bishan Bedi, 77. The India cricket great whose dazzling left-arm spin claimed 266 test wickets. Oct. 23.
Richard Roundtree, 81. The trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective in several «Shaft» films beginning in the early 1970s. Oct. 24.
Richard Moll, 80. A character actor who found lasting fame as an eccentric but gentle giant bailiff on the original «Night Court» sitcom. Oct. 26.
Then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang waves during a press conference after the closing session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on March 15, 2019. (Photo: VOA/File)
Li Keqiang, 68. The former premier was China’s top economic official and an advocate for private business but was left with little authority after President Xi Jinping made himself the most powerful Chinese leader in decades. Oct. 27.
Wu Zunyou, 60. An epidemiologist who helped drive the country’s strict zero-COVID measures in China that suspended access to cities and confined millions to their homes. Oct. 27.
Matthew Perry, 54. The Emmy-nominated «Friends» actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television’s most famous and quotable characters. Oct. 28.
Ken Mattingly, 87. An astronaut who is best remembered for his efforts on the ground that helped bring the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to Earth. Oct. 31.
NOVEMBER
Bob Knight, 83. The brilliant and combustible coach who won three NCAA titles at Indiana and for years was the scowling face of college basketball. Nov. 1.
Frank Borman, 95. The astronaut who commanded Apollo 8’s historic Christmas 1968 flight that circled the moon 10 times and paved the way for the lunar landing the next year. Nov. 7.
Steve Norton, 89. He ran the first U.S. gambling facility outside Nevada — Resorts casino in Atlantic City — and gave advice around the world on how to set up and operate casinos. Nov. 12.
Don Walsh, 92. The retired Navy captain was an explorer who in 1960 was part of a two-man crew that made the first voyage to the deepest part of the ocean — to the «snuff-colored ooze» at the bottom of the Pacific’s Mariana Trench. Nov. 12.
Terry R. Taylor, 71. In two trailblazing decades as the first female sports editor of The Associated Press, she transformed the news agency’s emphasis into multilayered coverage of rigorous reporting, entertaining enterprise and edgy analysis. Nov. 14.
Daisaku Ikeda, 95. He headed Soka Gakkai, a Japanese Buddhist organization, that includes famed musician Herbie Hancock and other celebrities in its fold. Nov. 15.
Bobby Ussery, 88. A Hall of Fame jockey who won the 1967 Kentucky Derby and then crossed the finish line first in the 1968 edition only to be disqualified days later. Nov. 16.
George «Funky» Brown, 74. The co-founder and longtime drummer of Kool & The Gang who helped write such hits as «Too Hot,» «Ladies Night,» «Joanna» and the party favorite «Celebration.» Nov. 16.
Rosalynn Carter, 96. The former first lady was the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians. Nov. 19.
Marty Krofft, 86. A TV producer known for imaginative children’s shows such as «H.R. Pufnstuf» and primetime hits including «Donny & Marie» in the 1970s. Nov. 25.
Terry Venables, 80. A charismatic and tactically innovative English soccer coach who led his national team to the European Championship semifinals in 1996 after winning trophies at club level with Barcelona and Tottenham. Nov. 25.
Tim Dorsey, 62. A former police and courts newspaper reporter who found lasting fame as the creator of the crime-comedy novel series starring Serge A. Storms, an energetic fan of Florida history and an ingenious serial killer. Nov. 26.
Frances Sternhagen, 93. The veteran character actor who won two Tony Awards and became a familiar maternal face to TV viewers later in life in such shows as «Cheers,» «ER,» «Sex and the City» and «The Closer.» Nov. 27.
Charlie Munger, 99. He helped Warren Buffett build Berkshire Hathaway into an investment powerhouse. Nov. 28.
Henry Kissinger, 100. The former secretary of state exerted uncommon influence on global affairs under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, earning both vilification and the Nobel Peace Prize. Nov. 29.
Shane MacGowan, 65. The singer-songwriter and frontman of «Celtic Punk» band The Pogues, best known for the Christmas ballad «Fairytale of New York.» Nov. 30.
DECEMBER
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is shown before administering the oath of office to members of the Texas Supreme Court in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 6, 2003. (Photo: VOA/File)
Sandra Day O’Connor, 93. The former U.S. Supreme Court justice was an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. Dec. 1.
Juanita Castro, 90. The sister of Cuban rulers Fidel and Raúl Castro, who worked with the CIA against her siblings’ communist government. Dec. 4.
Norman Lear, 101. The writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime-time television with «All in the Family,» «The Jeffersons» and «Maude,» propelling political and social turmoil into the once insulated world of TV sitcoms. Dec. 5.
Benjamin Zephaniah, 65. A British poet, political activist and actor who drew huge inspiration from his Caribbean roots. Dec. 7.
Ryan O’Neal, 82. The heartthrob actor who went from a TV soap opera to an Oscar-nominated role in «Love Story» and delivered a wry performance opposite his charismatic 9-year-old daughter Tatum in «Paper Moon.» Dec. 8.
Andre Braugher poses after winning an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie for his work on «Thief» during the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Aug. 27, 2006. (Photo: VOA/File)
Andre Braugher, 61. The Emmy-winning actor who would master gritty drama for seven seasons on «Homicide: Life on The Street» and modern comedy for eight on «Brooklyn 99.» Dec. 11.
Zahara, 36. She rose from an impoverished rural background to find rapid fame with multi-platinum selling albums and delivered her unique version of wistful Afro-soul in her country’s isiXhosa language and in English. Dec. 11.
George McGinnis, 73. A Hall of Fame forward who was a two-time ABA champion and three-time All-Star in the NBA and ABA. Dec. 14.
Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 86. As Kuwait’s ruling emir, he spent a three-year, low-key reign focused on trying to resolve the tiny, oil-rich nation’s internal political disputes. Dec. 16.
Mike Nussbaum, 99. Reputed as the oldest professional actor in America with a prolific stage career and roles in films including «Field of Dreams» and «Men in Black.» Dec. 23.
Kamar de los Reyes on Dec. 7, 2012. De los Reyes, a television, movie and voice actor best known for playing a gang member-turned-cop in the soap “One Life to Live” and a villain in the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops II,» died Dec. 24, 2023, in Los Angeles at 56. (Photo: VOA/File)
Kamar de los Reyes, 56. A television, movie and voice actor best known for playing a gang member-turned-cop in the soap «One Life to Live» and a villain in the video game «Call of Duty: Black Ops II.» Dec. 24.
Tom Smothers, 86. He was half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium. Dec. 26.
Wolfgang Schaeuble, 81. He helped negotiate German reunification in 1990 and as finance minister was a central figure in the austerity-heavy effort to drag Europe out of its debt crisis two decades later. Dec. 26.
Jacques Delors, 98. A Paris bank messenger’s son who became the visionary and builder of a more unified Europe in his momentous decade as chief executive of the European Union. Dec. 27.
Herb Kohl, 88. A former Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Dec. 27.
This picture taken on December 23, 2023 shows South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun arriving at a police station in Incheon for his police questioning over his alleged use of marijuana and other psychoactive drugs. (Photo: VOA/File)
Lee Sun-kyun, 48. A popular South Korean actor best known for his role in the Oscar-winning movie «Parasite.» Dec. 27.
Mbongeni Ngema, 68. A renowned South African playwright, producer and composer who was the creator of the Broadway hit «Sarafina!» that was adapted into a musical drama starring Whoopi Goldberg. Dec. 27.
Gaston Glock, 94. The Austrian developer of the handgun that bears his name. Dec. 27.
Tom Wilkinson, 75. The Oscar-nominated British actor known for his roles in «The Full Monty,» «Michael Clayton» and «The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.» Dec. 28.
Shecky Greene, 97. Gifted comic and master improviser who was revered by his peers and live audiences as one of the greatest standup acts of his generation. Dec. 31.
Cale Yarborough, 84. Considered one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers, and the first to win three consecutive Cup titles. Dec. 31.
Eddie Bernice Johnson, 88. Trailblazing longtime U.S. representative from Texas who helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area as the region’s most powerful Democrat. Dec. 31.
Estados Unidos entrará al año 2024 con 335.893.238 habitantes, un incremento del 0,53 % sobre la población un año antes, según el cálculo divulgado por la Oficina del Censo.
La cifra representa un crecimiento de 4.443.957 personas, o un 1,34 %, sobre la población registrada por el Censo el 1 de abril de 2020.
«En enero de 2024 se espera que haya en Estados Unidos un nacimiento cada nueve segundos y una muerte cada 9,5 segundos. Mientras tanto, se espera que la inmigración internacional neta añada una persona a la población estadounidense cada 28,3 segundos», explicó la oficina gubernamental.
«Esta combinación de nacimientos, muertes e inmigración internacional neta aumenta la población de Estados Unidos en una persona cada 24,2 segundos», añadió.
La Oficina del Censo señaló que en el primer día del año entrante la población mundial alcanzará la cifra de 8.019.876.189 personas, un aumento de 75.162.541, o un 0,95 %, desde el día de Año Nuevo en 2023.
«Durante enero de 2024 se calcula que en todo el mundo ocurrirán 4,3 nacimientos y dos muertes cada segundo», agregó la agencia.
Formularios de Medicaid Foto: AP/Michael Gonzalez)
Milagro, inmigrante peruana del condado de Riverside, ha tenido un acceso intermitente a la atención médica en las dos décadas que ha estado en este país.
La mujer de 48 años, que trabaja como gerente administrativa en una organización sin fines de lucro, puede recibir atención de emergencia por un paquete limitado de beneficios que el estado pone a disposición de los inmigrantes sin papeles.
También ha podido tener sus mamografías, radiografías y análisis de sangre en clínicas que cobran en base a los ingresos del paciente. Sin embargo, conseguir citas lleva mucho tiempo y a menudo están lejos de su casa. «Es muy frustrante, porque tienes que tener tiempo para ir, y no puedes simplemente perder un día de trabajo», dijo Milagro, quien pidió que no se publicara su apellido por temor a las autoridades de inmigración.
Milagro y su esposo se encuentran entre los más de 700,000 inmigrantes de entre 26 y 49 años que se espera que califiquen para el seguro de salud completo a partir del 1 de enero.
Ese día, California dará el paso final para abrir Medi-Cal, el programa de atención médica del estado para residentes con bajos ingresos, a todos los que cumplan con los requisitos de elegibilidad, independientemente de su estatus migratorio.
Como he informado con frecuencia, obtener atención de calidad a través de Medi-Cal puede ser un desafío. Pero esta población —a menudo sostén económico del hogar que no puede permitirse enfermar— podría obtener un acceso mucho mejor a servicios como atención primaria y especializada, chequeos dentales de rutina, medicamentos recetados, atención hospitalaria, análisis, pruebas de imagen, y servicios de salud mental.
Los nuevos inscritos se sumarán a más de 655,000 niños, adultos jóvenes de hasta 25 años y adultos de 50 años y más que ya se han registrado en Medi-Cal a través de expansiones anteriores para residentes sin papeles, según los datos más recientes del Departamento de Servicios de Atención Médica del estado.
Defensores de inmigrantes indican que las personas sin seguro médico generalmente están más enfermas y mueren más jóvenes. «Esto cambiará la vida de las personas que ahora podrán hacerse chequeos regulares, análisis, saber si pueden tener diabetes o hipertensión», dijo Sarah Dar, directora de políticas en la oficina de Los Ángeles del California Immigrant Policy Center.
Milagro dice que está emocionada. «Nunca tuve chequeos regulares cuando era más joven», dice. «Ahora, soy más consciente de que necesito cuidar de mi salud».
Extender la cobertura completa de Medi-Cal a individuos elegibles de entre 26 y 49 años, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, se estima que costará al estado $1.4 mil millones en los primeros seis meses y $3.4 mil millones al año con la implementación completa.
La estimación del estado de poco más de 700,000 nuevos inscritos se basa en el número de personas en el grupo de edad que ya están registradas para un conjunto más pequeño de beneficios, conocidos como Medi-Cal de «alcance limitado», una de ellas, Milagro. Este grupo se transferirá automáticamente al Medi-Cal completo el 1 de enero.
El estado ha comenzado a enviar avisos informándoles de los beneficios ampliados y dirigiéndolos a elegir un plan de salud de Medi-Cal, a menos que vivan en un condado que solo tenga un plan.
Será más difícil llegar a los inmigrantes restantes en el grupo de 26 a 49 años cubiertos por esta expansión, ya que el estado no sabe quiénes son, dónde están ni cuántos son. Defensores de pacientes, grupos comunitarios y oficinas de bienestar de los condados enfrentan varios obstáculos: barreras de idioma, desconfianza en las agencias gubernamentales y el temor de que inscribirse en beneficios públicos pueda poner en peligro las posibilidades de obtener la tarjeta de residencia (green card).
Un desafío es convencer a los inmigrantes de que estar en Medi-Cal es poco probable que afecte su futuro estatus migratorio bajo la llamada regla de carga pública.
Defensores señalan que California de todos modos no comparte la información de los inscritos con las autoridades federales de inmigración. Pero el fuerte sentimiento anti inmigrante que fue tan fuerte durante la administración Trump, y persiste mientras la nación se prepara para las elecciones de 2024, «envió un mensaje a estas comunidades de que deberían vivir en las sombras y de que no merecen beneficios», explicó Dar.
Incluso será difícil encontrar a aquellos que ya están en la versión limitada de Medi-Cal si su información de contacto no está actualizada. Y podrían no ser incluso conscientes de que formaban parte de Medi-Cal. Si, por ejemplo, tuvieron una crisis de salud, los llevaron a la sala de emergencias y simplemente se les pidió que firmaran algunos documentos para cubrir su tratamiento, podrían no entender lo que significa recibir un correo de Medi-Cal.
Y algunos pueden temer cualquier contacto con el gobierno.
Lena Silver, directora de políticas y defensa administrativa en Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, dijo que condujo una sesión de capacitación donde una mujer que trabaja con jornaleros dijo que muchos tenían miedo de abrir los sobres que habían recibido.
El Departamento de Servicios de Atención Médica está liderando una campaña de divulgación en 19 idiomas que incluye anuncios en radio, televisión y redes sociales.
Lo que potencialmente complica las cosas es el hecho de que la expansión de los beneficios de salud a este último (y más grande) grupo de inmigrantes coincide con la llamada cancelación de Medi-Cal, en la que más de 900,000 beneficiarios, hasta ahora, han sido eliminados del programa, principalmente debido a trámites incompletos, al expirar las exenciones por la pandemia.
Los inmigrantes con Medi-Cal limitado también deben demostrar que continúan siendo elegibles en base a sus ingresos, para evitar ser eliminados en el proceso de cancelación, lo que también puede resultar confuso cuando dicha solicitud se suma al aviso que les informa sobre sus nuevos beneficios recién ampliados.
Si tú mismo eres indocumentado, o un amigo o un ser querido, hay recursos disponibles para ayudar a navegar el proceso de inscripción en Medi-Cal. Una página en el sitio web del Departamento de Servicios de Atención Médica (dhcs.ca.gov) explica la expansión y tiene preguntas y respuestas frecuentes en varios idiomas detallando los nuevos beneficios.
Si necesitas ayuda para inscribirte en un plan de Medi-Cal o llenar formularios para demostrar tu elegibilidad, prueba con Health Consumer Alliance (healthconsumer.org o 1-888-804-3536).
Las clínicas comunitarias también son buenas fuentes, al igual que las oficinas de los condados que administran Medi-Cal.
Brenda, residente del condado de Los Ángeles de 33 años que también pidió que no se publicara su apellido porque no tiene papeles, dijo que será «una gran bendición» obtener beneficios completos de Medi-Cal.
Brenda llegó desde México cuando era niña y ha tenido que pagar la mayoría de sus necesidades de atención médica de su propio bolsillo. Rara vez va al médico, no ha visto a un dentista en tres años a pesar de los dolores de muelas, y ha usado los mismos anteojos por cinco años.
En enero, planea hacerse una prueba de detección de cáncer de mama y diabetes, que es frecuente en su familia. Y dijo: «definitivamente quiero arreglar mis dientes. Siempre he querido una sonrisa Colgate».
