In the news ... 2007

Community Organization Sign-on Letter:
Support full funding for ADAP

July 24, 2007

Below is a sign-on letter urging Congressional leaders to support full funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program when they finalize the Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill. The letter was written by a new coalition of grassroots and policy advocates to ensure that Congress continues to hear about the need for a $232.9 million increase so that ADAPs around the country can provide a minimal level of service.

To sign, email Ryan Clary with name of organization and contact person. Deadline: 5pm EST, Friday, August 24, 2007

Dear _________:

The undersigned organizations are writing in strong support of a $232.9 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) in the final Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill. While we greatly appreciate the increases proposed by both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as advocates for people with HIV/AIDS, we must express that these amounts fall far below the funding needed to make sure people have access to lifesaving treatment. Full funding for ADAP would provide treatment access for an additional 17,663 low-income people with HIV/AIDS.

As you know, ADAP, funded under Part B of the Ryan White Program, provides access to treatment for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS who are uninsured or lack adequate prescription drug coverage. It is the final safety net for Americans who have no other means of accessing HIV medications, and a lifeline for the approximately 100,000 people who depend on it.

However, many state ADAPs are facing financial difficulties and are unable to meet the needs of those who depend on the program. According to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), as of May 2007, there are over 500 people on ADAP waiting lists in four states. Two other states have been forced to implement other cost-containment strategies, and another state expects to do the same in the next year.

The medications received from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program allow many patients to remain in the workforce and contribute to society. Without access to these important medications, many more would be unable to work and therefore reliant on public assistance. A woman in South Carolina, for example, recently reported that because of ADAP she was able to become healthy enough to return to work. She was then covered under an employer’s heath plan, which negated her reliance on ADAP for medications. Furthermore, the medications she received under ADAP enabled her to have a healthy baby. That baby is now over a year old and remains HIV negative, while the mother remains healthy enough to care for her family.

Since ADAP received no increase last year and only a nominal increase the year before, thirty one jurisdictions have experienced decreases in ADAP funding in Fiscal Year 2007. Meanwhile, some states that have struggled to provide adequate service to their ADAP clients have stepped up and contributed significant state funding for their programs. For example, South Carolina recently increased its contribution to ADAP by $3.5 million, which will help to greatly reduce its ongoing wait list. Across the nation, states contributed over $300 million in FY 2006. However, without adequate ongoing federal funding, many states will be unable to sustain a minimal level of service to those who need it. ADAP needs regular and substantial increases to be a true sustainable safety net program.

Fully funding HIV/AIDS care now will save in both financial and human costs by helping to decrease HIV transmission, increasing healthy participants in our workforce and helping to ease the strain on overburdened hospital emergency rooms. Please support the full need funding level of an additional $232.9 million funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program earmark.

We appreciate your attention to issues affecting individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Thank you for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

(list in formation)
Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association – Anchorage, AK
AIDS Alabama – Mobile, AL
AIDS Foundation Chicago – Chicago, IL
The AIDS Institute – Washington, DC
AIDS Project Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa Network (CHAIN) – Iowa
Gay Men’s Health Crisis - New York, NY
HIVictorious, Inc. – Madison, WI
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation – New Brunswick, NJ
International Foundation for Alternative Research in AIDS – Portland, OR
Lifelong AIDS Alliance – Seattle, WA
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors – Washington, DC
New York AIDS Coalition – New York, NY
NO/AIDS Task Force – New Orleans, LA
Northern Colorado AIDS Project – Fort Collins, CO
Ohio AIDS Coalition – Columbus, OH
Planet Poz – Rio Rancho, NM
Project Inform – San Francisco, CA
Title II Community AIDS National Network – Washington, DC