PI Action alerts & updates ... 2003

Medicare Drug Bill A Disaster for People With AIDS
50,000 to lose guaranteed access to treatment

Tell your Representative and Senators to Vote NO!

Congress is finishing work on a final Medicare Prescription Drug Bill and expected to vote on it in the next couple of days. The final version approved by the House/Senate conference committee has a provision that will cause more harm for people with HIV/AIDS than the benefits it would provide.

The provision would eliminate “wrap-around” drug coverage for 6 million people who are eligible for Medicaid and Medicare (known as “dual-eligibles”). These are the sickest and poorest seniors and people with disabilities, including 50,000 people with AIDS.

Currently, Medicaid pays for services and benefits for dual-eligibles that aren’t provided by Medicare. However, under this provision, states would be barred from using Medicaid funds to pay for medications and cost-sharing (deductibles, co-payments, etc.) that aren’t provided by Medicare. Since the proposed Medicare prescription drug benefit is not comprehensive enough for most people with AIDS, this will leave people without guaranteed access to the treatment they need. The situation will be the same for other low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

If Medicaid isn’t allowed to supplement the drug coverage, then people will have to rely on AIDS Drug Assistance Programs and other Ryan White CARE Act services. However, these programs are already in a fiscal crisis, many can’t meet current needs, and it is unlikely that they would be able to make up this terrible gap.

Everyone wants a meaningful Medicare drug benefit, but if it harms 6 million dual-eligibles, including 50,000 people with AIDS, then it must not happen. Please take a few minutes RIGHT NOW to call your Members of Congress and demand that they reject this dangerous bill.

Action needed:
Call your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators’ DC offices. A toll-free number is listed below. Calls are pouring in right now, so be persistent and know that you might not get much time to speak. Tell whoever answers the phone:

Sample message:

“I’m a constituent of Representative/Senator _____________ and I urge him/her to vote NO on the Medicare Drug Bill. This bill is harmful to dual-eligibles, including 50,000 people with AIDS.”

Contact information:
You can reach your Representative and Senators through the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at 1-877-762-8762, or if that line is busy, the regular number is 202-224-3121. You will need to know the names of your Representative/Senators and ask to be transferred. If you don’t know who your Representatives are, go to www.vote-smart.org for help.

Please forward this Alert and urge your family, friends, and colleagues to take action! Thank you for your quick response.