| WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) urged President Clinton
to “work to win enactment of the Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA)
as part of the ongoing budget negotiations…”
In
a letter to the President dated October 13, 2000, Schakowsky wrote, “One
of the most tragic consequences of the lack of access to medical care is
that so many people develop serious and costly illnesses that are preventable
or treatable with early intervention. This is certainly true in the
case of thousands of HIV positive individuals who, if given access to protease
inhibitors and other new treatments, could live healthy and productive
lives for many years. Tragically, many of them will be unable to
afford those treatments unless and until they develop full-blown AIDS and,
as a result, qualify for Medicaid.”
She
continued, “It simply makes no sense to require that low-income individuals
develop AIDS before they can receive assistance. Instead, we should
cover drug therapies for HIV-positive persons under Medicaid to prevent
them from ever developing AIDS.”
Schakowsky
concluded, “Your Administration has a strong record of commitment and
innovation in improving access to health care. I hope that you will
continue that record by working to include the provisions of the ETHA in
a final BBA agreement.” |
