-------- Original Message --------
Subject: GAO Report on CARE Programs Available; ETHA Reintroduced; and
Obama Asked to Lift Needle Exchange Ban
From: MARK FISCHER <fischerwdc@...>
Date: Tue, March 31, 2009 11:05 am
To:

 
From: National Minority AIDS Council [mailto:communications@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 1:19 PM
Subject: GAO Report on CARE Programs Available; ETHA Reintroduced; and Obama Asked to Lift Needle Exchange Ban

 

Ryan White CARE Act: Implementation of the New Minority AIDS Initiative Provisions The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled "Ryan White CARE Act: Implementation of the New Minority AIDS Initiative Provisions" that detailed how changes in the funding structure of the Ryan White CARE Act altered the programs and services delivered by grantees. Download a copy of Ryan White CARE Act: Implementation of the New Minority AIDS Initiative Provisions here. Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) Reintroduced: House Legislation Would Extend Medicaid Coverage to Poor HIV Patients The March 27th edition of Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Healthbeat reports, "Reps. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have re-introduced the [Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) which] would allow states to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income individuals with HIV." (Click here for more information.) The bill would permit states to change their Medicaid eligibility policies to increase access to early and cost-effective HIV treatment before the virus progresses to AIDS, Engel said in a statement. According to Engel, this approach would be "more cost effective for the federal government since it's much more expensive to treat patients with AIDS than HIV." Under current Social Security regulations, HIV-positive people must be disabled by the virus before they can receive Medicaid coverage, according to Engel's statement. The bill would allow participating states to receive higher federal rates for providing treatment to people living with HIV and is similar to other initiatives, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program and a program providing early Medicaid access to low-income women with cancer. "It makes no sense that a person must develop ... AIDS before Medicaid can treat them," Ros-Lehtinen said in the statement. She added, "This legislation would remedy this by giving states the option to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income persons so that they can confront their HIV before it becomes AIDS and thus help them from becoming terminally ill and a burden on their families and the public health system." In a news release, Engel said the program would be "more cost effective for the federal government since it is much more expensive to treat patients with AIDS than HIV." The bill is modeled on legislation like SCHIP in that it allows "participating states to receive higher federal rates for treating patients with HIV." (Feldman, CQ HealthBeat, 3/26). HIV/AIDS Organizations Nationwide Ask Obama to Lift Ban on Needle Exchange NMAC, along with many partner organizations, recently sent a letter asking President Barack Obama to call on Congress to strike language banning federal funding for syringe exchange from the FY 2009 Appropriations Omnibus Bill. In addition, it asked that Congress to allow funding in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill to be used for syringe exchange in the FY 2010 budget to Congress. We believed that taking action now to remove the ban in the FY 2009 Omnibus is the most expeditious route to allow cities and states the needed flexibility to tailor existing federal funding streams to fight deadly infectious diseases based on the needs and conditions of local communities. The text of this important letter is available below, and a http://nmac.convio.net/site/R?i=FFNX75BJW0zehMzxnHNSvQ... Today, NMAC is an association of AIDS service organizations providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. NMAC's advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only.  For more information, call NMAC directly at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) or communications@.... Visit the agency online at http://nmac.convio.net/site/R?i=uTUDAiCrQNooVz3PfLuxtQ.., as well as on http://nmac.convio.net/site/R?i=SKocITqW6odezwXyF4n7nQ.. and on http://nmac.convio.net/site/R?i=9ZLF8NHnY6kgmFj5jEuwzg... Pictures and video clips from past NMAC events are available from MyPhotoAlbum.com (nmacpics.myphotoalbum.com/), and http://nmac.convio.net/site/R?i=lgXWmbqfJelRIAUaaeLMXw.., respectively. About NMAC Lifeline Click here to email this message to a friend. If you received this message from a friend and would like to receive NMAC Lifeline you can sign-up here. You received this email because you expressed interest in future email communications from us. We appreciate that you have chosen to receive email from us so we can keep you informed of events as they happen. If you received this email in error or do not wish to receive future email from the National Minority AIDS Council, click here to remove yourself from the mailing list.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  About NMAC in Action Much of the information distributed through the NMAC in Action and on the NMAC website is drawn from secondary sources. It is not meant to constitute or convey medical advice or diagnostic information. People living with HIV/AIDS should share information of interest with their primary care provider before making treatment choices. The presence of the name or image of any person on the NMAC website, or within this message, should not be construed as an indication of their HIV status, unless specifically stated.   About NMAC The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) honored its twentieth year developing leadership within communities of color to address challenges of HIV/AIDS, in 2007. NMAC has responded to the needs of communities of color by developing programs aimed at enhancing the skills necessary to confront this health crisis, including a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program and numerous publications. Today, NMAC is an association of AIDS service organizations providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. NMAC's advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only. For more information, call: (202) 234-5120; e-mail: communications@...; or visit: http://www.nmac.org/.  Subscription Information Please share this NMAC in Action with colleagues and friends, and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Click here to forward this message. To unsubscribe from NMAC in Action, send a reply to this message with the word, "REMOVE", in the subject line. Click here to change your email preferences.