Al B. Sure!: A health crisis for people of color

Originally published in New York Daily News.

Black and Brown America is in the middle of a health crisis — one only Black and Brown leaders can fix.

It’s true Congress is becoming more diverse, including the man who may well become the first Black speaker this time next year. A Black woman holds the vice presidency for the first time in American history. All of them sit where they are thanks to the civil rights leaders who taught us all that it’s not enough to have power — it’s what you do with it that matters.

And right now, tens of thousands of Black and Brown organ transplant recipients who rely on Medicare need their power. Since last March, they’ve been unable to access life-saving, non-invasive blood tests able to catch an organ rejection months before physical symptoms show up. This test has been a miracle for those of us who have received such a gift because it eased the daily anxiety of a potential failure. And it was significantly less painful or time consuming than a biopsy, which is often done too late to stop a rejection.

Yet thousands of these tests were canceled literally overnight last year, when a private contractor under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decided to drastically cut back Medicare coverage for this test. Such a decision, which CMS has barely explained, unsurprisingly hit Black and Brown Americans the hardest. Now, thanks to this decision, we’re at greater risk of that organ failing.

Last year, the Rev. Al Sharpton and I looked at this decision and decided enough was enough. We launched the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition to demand CMS explain this awful decision, rescind it, and guarantee such a thing never happened again.

This is a labor of love as someone who is here not only thanks to the liver transplant I received but also the care I get every day that follows. My journey began in July 2022 at a Houston recording studio, where I collapsed after my whole side went numb. Doctors’ prognosis of multiple organ failure was grim, and hospice care seemed to be the only viable option. They kept the faith, however, thanks to the advocacy of Sharpton, media guru Rachel Noerdlinger, my friends and my family.

I survived several blood transfusions, a ventilator, a two-month medically induced coma thanks to the doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital. My liver transplant was one of more than 9,500 performed in 2022 — an increase in procedures over previous years as the number of available organs continues to drop. It’s been my mission since to use the platform I’ve built over the last 30 years to advocate for the hundreds of thousands of members in my new organ transplant family.

2024 has already been monumental for the HEiTC. It began with my one-on-one conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff in Las Vegas, during which I shared the daily struggles of my organ transplantation family in regard to the solid brick wall many will now face in accessing this vital blood test.

As a longtime supporter, I will decline from delving into the specifics aside from praising their welcomeness. I can say, however, she is a leader who has been a strong voice on the border, women’s reproductive health, and other issues that impact communities of color. Our nation is lucky to have such an empowered Black woman in a place of power.

I’ve also met with Rep. Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has taken up this issue in the House of Representatives. Horsford used his bully pulpit to raise the issue with CMS and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, demanding an explanation on how such a poor decision came to be. He was kind enough to recently meet with me in Las Vegas and once again pledged his commitment to deliver justice for Black and Brown organ transplant recipients.

My ask, especially to Black and Brown lawmakers, staff, and administrators, is simple: work together to reverse this short-sighted, dangerous decision. Many of the people they vowed to serve are walking around right now, unsure if their transplanted organ will fail them. The only way they will find out is through a fever.

Many of our Black and Brown leaders have run for office on a promise to address the health inequities brought to the fore during COVID. Now it’s time for them to join their colleagues and deliver.

Al B. Sure! is a multi-platinum R&B music singer, songwriter, podcast host, social activist, successful transplant recipient and the executive chairman of the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition.