VOL. 53, NO. 29 • MAY 3 - 9, 2018
The Informer Honors the Legacy of Malcolm X, born May 19, 1925
Don’t Miss Capture the Moment Page 37
Lawmakers Seek Work Requirements for Medicaid Recipients
Bill Cosby on House Arrest After Conviction By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump has worked to end the Affordable Care Act, which most Americans have relied on for health benefits. And while the Affordable Care Act — commonly known as Obamacare — remains tenuously in place, the president and many Republican lawmakers around the country have now set their sights on Medicaid. Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that states can apply for waivers to implement work requirements for people who receive Medicaid benefits, a move that would affect some older Americans. To date, waivers have been approved in three states and are pending approval in others, according to U.S. News & World Report. Age limits vary for who might have to fulfill work or “community engagement” requirements for up to 80 hours a month. In Kentucky, Medicaid recipients are exempt at 64. In Indiana, 60 is the cutoff age. In Arkansas, however, 50 is the cutoff. As of early April, other states seeking to implement work requirements include Arizona,
WORK Page 21
5 AAHT participants gather around the statue of Frederick Douglass on the front lawn of the Talbot County Courthouse in Cambridge, Maryland where he delivered the “Self-Made Men” speech to a segregated audience in the courthouse on November 25, 1878. The statue was created by Jay Hall Carpenter and erected in 2011. / Photo by Roy Lewis
Comedian Bill Cosby has been placed on house arrest until his sentencing this summer following his conviction on three counts of aggravated indecent sexual assault. Judge Steven T. O’Neill ordered Cosby to get written permission from adult probation officials if he wants to leave his Philadelphia-area home to visit his doctor or to meet with lawyers. Those are the only movements he’s allowed, and they must be within a five-county radius of Montgomery County. Cosby, who was convicted April 26 of assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his home in 2004, has also been
COSBY Page 22
Maxwell to Resign as Schools CEO By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Embattled Prince George’s County public schools CEO Kevin Maxwell announced Tuesday, May 1 he plans to step down at the end of the school year. Maxwell, who became the leader of the Maryland’s second-largest school system in August 2013, said in a statement he will work with the school board to ensure a smooth transition for the 2018-19 school year. “I have decided to focus on my transition from Prince George’s County Public Schools,” he said. “The numerous distractions that have occurred over the course of
this school year are unlike anything I’ve experienced in four decades of working in public education. Without question, they have taken a toll on students, families and staff. If is clear that whoever becomes the next county executive plans to make a leadership change.” Thanks to legislation presented by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III and approved by state lawmakers that went into effect in 2013, the county executive can appoint the schools CEO, four school board members and the board’s chair and vice chair. State legislation presented in Annapolis to slightly restructure the school board failed to pass last
MAXWELL Page 15
5 Mayor Muriel Bowser hosted the 32nd Annual Salute to District of Columbia Centenarians on Monday, April 30 at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference and Hotel in Northeast. The 48 District residents who are 100 years of age or older received medals and certificates of recognition for their life accomplishments. Pictured with the Mayor, Dora Credle, 106, the oldest honoree attributes her long life to staying busy. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter
Celebrating 53 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area