During his time in Washington, the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-Newark) was one of Congress’s chief advocates on an issue that rarely breaks into the mainstream political conversation: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), a condition that reduces bloodflow to the arms and legs and that can lead to heart attacks, amputations, and in some cases death. Payne died last year, but his successor, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), is continuing his fight.
McIver has reintroduced one of Payne’s signature bills, the Amputation Reduction and Compassion Act, which would enable high-risk individuals to get PAD screening tests via Medicare and Medicaid at no additional cost. The bill would also create an education program to raise awareness of PAD.
“I’ve been a big advocate as the council president and in my work in the city of Newark around preventative health care,” McIver, a former local elected official in Payne’s hometown of Newark, said today. “Preventative health care is the answer in our communities to make sure that people are getting those early screenings, making sure they’re getting the correct screenings, so that they can eliminate any unnecessary health procedures that they may have to have in the long run.”
The issue was a personal one for Payne, who had diabetes and thus was at higher risk for PAD. (Payne ultimately died in April 2024 of a cardiac episode related to complications from his diabetes.) In addition to pushing for the ARC Act starting in 2020, Payne was also a leader of the Congressional PAD Caucus and the Congressional Men’s Health Caucus.
McIver, who ran on “carry[ing] forward the spirit of service exemplified by Congressman Payne” in her 2024 special election victory, said that she wanted to make sure Payne’s causes still have a champion in Congress.
“Donald Payne is definitely missed, but he’s not forgotten,” McIver said. “That’s the reason why we’re introducing the ARC Act – to make sure the work that he started, we finish it.”
There’s still a long way to go before the bill has a chance at becoming law, given that it never made it out of committee during Payne’s tenure; two other House members have signed onto McIver’s version of the bill as cosponsors, but both are Democrats, which may be an impediment for the bill in a Republican-controlled Congress. McIver, though, said she plans to fight to get the bill passed just the same.
“I’m not sure what might have been the holdup for why it didn’t get passed [in previous years], but we’re definitely looking forward to being successful this time,” she said.
By: Joey Fox
Source: New Jersey Globe