Engel/Pelosi/Ros-Lehtinen Bill Saves Money and Lives

Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) announces that legislation he sponsored, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), has been included in the House Health Reform Draft bill. The Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) will allow states to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income individuals with the HIV virus before it advances to full-blown AIDS.

Currently, most lower-income persons must first become disabled by AIDS before receiving Medicaid-provided care and treatment, which could have kept them healthy. ETHA brings Medicaid eligibility rules in line with federal government guidelines on the standard of care for treating HIV. The inclusion of ETHA in the health reform bill, in conjunction with the House's proposal to cover all low-income people under the Medicaid program up to 133% of the federal poverty level, is a significant step towards reducing the number of uninsured people with HIV in our country.

The measure has support from the three committee chairmen who have authored the House Health Reform Draft bill – Energy & Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, Ways & Means Chairman Charles Rangel and Education & Labor Chairman George Miller – as well as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Currently, there are 118 bipartisan members co-sponsoring similar legislation.

Rep. Engel, a senior member of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee said, “The inclusion of ETHA in the House health reform proposal is the result of years of tireless work and advocacy by a broad coalition of stakeholders, including one of ETHA's greatest champions, Speaker Pelosi. It is exactly the type of common-sense measure we need to include as we craft comprehensive health reform legislation. Treating patients with HIV before the disease progresses to full-blown AIDS is not only more cost-effective for our health care system, but more importantly, it will also save lives while preserving the quality of life for thousands of persons living with HIV."

ETHA has been endorsed by leading public health and advocacy groups including the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the AIDS Institute, Human Rights Campaign, AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, Treatment Access Expansion Project, the New York City AIDS Coalition and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. ETHA also has the endorsement from New York Governor David Paterson. (For a full list of endorsements, see the list below)

“It’s just unimaginable today that Medicaid doesn’t automatically cover poor people with HIV in our country,” said Carl Schmid, Director of Federal Affairs for The AIDS Institute. “When current Medicaid rules were written, people with HIV quickly progressed to AIDS, but with the advent of antiretroviral drug treatment, people with HIV can remain healthy for years. It makes no sense to wait until people have full blown AIDS before they can access medical care and drug treatment through Medicaid. With earlier treatment they can remain healthy and at the same time reduce costs in the long term. Enactment of this provision will bring the Medicaid system up to current healthcare and treatment standards.”

“Including ETHA in health care reform is the right thing to do. Providing early intervention and access to treatment will benefit HIV-positive Americans, improving their quality of life by reducing the number of infections and lowering viral loads. It is necessary to help fight the AIDS epidemic and to save lives,” said HRC (Human Rights Campaign) President, Joe Solmonese.

ETHA gives states the option of amending the Medicaid eligibility requirements to include uninsured, pre-disabled low-income people living with HIV. Participating states would receive an enhanced federal matching rate, the same that is provided through the breast and cervical cancer Medicaid project and S-CHIP.

William E. Arnold, CEO Community Access National Network (CANN) said, “It has taken years of work to finally get ETHA folded into serious health care reform legislation. This medically-desirable and cost-effective legislation is most welcome and we salute the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Representatives Engel and Ros-Lehtinen and Chairman Rangel for their long-standing leadership and commitment to HIV-positive Americans.”

“ETHA addresses a cruel irony in the current Medicaid system—that under current Medicaid rules, people must become disabled by AIDS before they can receive access to Medicaid-provided care that could have prevented them from becoming so ill in the first place,” commented Robert Greenwald, Executive Director of the Treatment Access Expansion Project.
“The inclusion of ETHA, which was first introduced in the 104th Congress, comes at a critical time when states are facing devastating budget cuts and federal contributions for HIV/AIDS care and treatment have failed to keep up with need,” said Julie Scofield, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.” “ETHA provides a solution to states to increase health care access to low-income Americans living with HIV.”

Rep. Engel said, “By keeping people healthy, the government will save money on expensive medical interventions, such as emergency care or hospitalizations. Also, new medications now allow people with HIV to remain in the workforce longer, and reduce the need for support from government income subsidy programs like SSI and SSDI. Most importantly, there will be a substantial decrease in lives lost to this terrible disease.”

Endorsements:

The following 111 organizations support passage of the Early Treatment for HIV Act:

ACT UP Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
ACT UP Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
ADAP Working Group, Washington, D.C.
AID Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
AIDS Action, Washington, D.C.
AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
AIDS Alabama, Birmingham, AL
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, and Families, Washington, D.C.
AIDS Emergency Fund, San Francisco, CA
AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL
AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC
AIDS Project Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
AIDS Project Rhode Island, Providence, RI
AIDS Services Foundation Orange County, Irvine, CA
AIDS Survival Project, Atlanta, GA
AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
AIDS Treatment Data Network, New York, NY
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, New York, NY
AIDS Volunteers of Northern Kentucky, Covington, KY
Africa Bridge, Inc., West Linn, OR
American Foundation for AIDS Research, Washington, DC
American Society of Addiction Medicine, Chevy Chase, MD
Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA
Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Washington, D.C.
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, Washington, D.C.
AsUR Volunteer Services, Oakland, CA
Beaver County AIDS Service Organization, Aliquippa, PA
Belle Reve, New Orleans, LA
Bienestar, Los Angeles, CA
Catholic Charities CYO, San Francisco, CA
Communities Advocating for Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR Coalition), Washington, D.C.
Center for AIDS: Hope & Remembrance Project, Houston, TX
Center for Women Policy Studies, Washington, D.C.
Common Ground, Santa Monica, CA
Community Advisory Board of the Miriam ACTG, Providence, RI
Community Care Management, Johnstown, PA
Council on AIDS in Rockland, Rockland County, NY
Critical Path AIDS Project, Philadelphia, PA
District of Columbia Primary Care Association, Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA
Florida Keys HIV Community Planning Partnership, Key West, FL
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research, Brooklyn, NY
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, San Francisco, CA
Gay Men's Health Crisis, New York, NY
Georgia AIDS Coalition, Inc., Snellville, GA
HAART, Baton Rouge, LA
HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, Inc. (HAART), Baton Rouge, LA
HIV/AIDS Dietetic Practice Group, American Dietetic Association, Chicago, IL/Washington, D.C.
HIV/AIDS Women’s Caucus of Long Beach and South Bay, Long Beach, CA
HIV/Hepatitis C in Prison Committee/California Prison Focus, San Francisco, CA
HIV Medicine Association, Alexandria, VA
HIVictorious, Inc., Madison, WI
HUG-ME Program at Orlando Regional Healthcare, Orlando, FL
Human Rights Campaign, Washington, D.C.
International AIDS Empowerment, El Paso, TX
Kitsap Human Rights Network, Silverdale, WA
Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Seattle, WA
Louisiana Lesbian and Gay Political Action Caucus, New Orleans, LA
Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA
Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, San Francisco, CA
Matthew 25 AIDS Services, Inc., Henderson, KY
Michigan Advocates Exchange, Ypsilanti, MI
Michigan Persons Living With AIDS Task Force, Okemos, MI
Montrose Clinic, Houston, TX
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, Washington, D.C.
National Association of People With AIDS, Washington, D.C.
National Association for Victims of Transfusion-Acquired AIDS, Bethesda, MD
National Coalition for LGBT Health, Washington, D.C.
National Center on Poverty Law, Chicago, IL
National Health Law Program, Los Angeles, CA
National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, D.C.
New York AIDS Coalition, New York, NY
New York City AIDS Housing Network, New York, NY
NO/AIDS Task Force, New Orleans, LA
North Carolina Council for Positive Living, Raleigh, NC
Northern Manhattan Women & Children HIV Project, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Northland Cares, Flagstaff, AZ
Okaloosa AIDS Support and Informational Services (OASIS), Fort Walton Beach, FL
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia FIGHT, Philadelphia, PA
Pierce County AIDS Foundation, Tacoma, WA
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office, Washington, D.C.
Primary Health Care, Inc., Des Moines, IA
Program for Wellness Restoration, Houston, TX
Project Inform, San Francisco, CA
Project Lazarus, New Orleans, LA
Provincetown AIDS Support Group, Provincetown, MA
Power of Love Foundation, San Diego, CA
Ryan White Title III Medical Providers Coalition
San Antonio AIDS Foundation, San Antonio, TX
San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco HIV/AIDS Provider Network
Shelter Resources, Inc. d.b.a. Belle Reve New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
STOP AIDS Project, San Francisco, CA
Southern AIDS Coalition
Test Positive Aware Network, Chicago, IL
Title II Community AIDS National Network, Washington, D.C.
Treatment Action Group, New York, NY
Treatment Access Expansion Project, Washington, D.C.
United Communities AIDS Network, Olympia, WA
University of IOWA HIV Program, Iowa City, IA
Vermont People With AIDS Coalition, Montpelier, VT
Visionary Health Concepts, New York, NY
Whitman Walker Clinic, Washington, D.C.
Williamsburg/Greenpoint/Bushwick HIV CARE Network, Brooklyn, NY
Women Accepting Responsibility, Baltimore, MD
Women's HIV Collaborative of New York, New York, NY
WORLD, Oakland, CA