As the AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding crisis continues, a national summit asking “When will Washington come to the rescue?” ends today in Washington, D.C. #
The funding crisis prompted states to implement cost-containment measures that include waiting lists in 13 states. As of June 30, more than 8,600 people living with HIV and AIDS are on those waiting lists. According to Florida’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS (.pdf), as of June 30, Florida has over 3,500 people on its AIDS Drug Assistance Program waitlist, the longest by far in the U.S. #
The AIDS Drug Assistance Programs supply life-saving drugs to HIV/AIDS patients who are uninsured and/or unable to afford their medications. Waiting lists started to emerge in different states in June 2009 as a cost-containment measure to deal with a shortage in funding. #
The ADAP Advocacy Association, which is hosting the D.C. summit, produced this public service announcement on the program: #
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The Advocacy Association writes (.pdf): #
The purpose is to identify key action steps to secure additional federal appropriations, programmatic reforms, and available public and private resources to alleviate the ongoing cost-containment strategies that are putting thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS on ADAP wait lists or program disenrollment. #
The Advocacy Association adds: “Without intervention from either the executive or legislative branch, several thousand people living with HIV/AIDS will be at risk of developing Opportunistic Infections (‘OIs’), and thousands of others who are HIV-negative will be at greater risk of contracting the virus because their HIVpositive counterparts are more infectious when not taking Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (‘HAART’).” #
Florida’s funding crisis caught the attention of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which in June launched an online petition to urge Gov. Rick Scott and Florida legislators to not reduce income eligibility requirements for the state’s Drug Assistance Program. #
Florida’s Department of Health has proposed reducing income eligibility for the program from 400 percent of the federal poverty level to 200 percent. If the bureau’s proposal is adopted, a patient would have to earn roughly $26,000 or less to qualify. HIV/AIDS medications cost between $10,000 and $20,000 per year. #
