PI Action alerts & updates ... 2003

Gov. Schwarzenegger Proposes Waiting List for AIDS Drug Assistance Program

Your Help Is Needed To Fight This Inhumane Proposal!

California Governor Schwarzenegger has released a proposal to cap enrollment in the California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) as of January 1, 2004 for a period of six months. This cap is part of a package of mid-year budget cuts and caps totaling $1.9 billion that has been presented to the Legislature. The Legislature must approve or reject the proposal. More background information is at the end of this Alert.

What you can do:
There are two actions you can take to prevent this cap (sample phone message and letter can be found below):

Contact Governor Schwarzenegger’s office immediately by phone, email and/or fax and let him know that the cap on ADAP is inhumane and shortsighted.

Write a personal letter to the Assembly and Senate Budget Chairs to oppose the cap and explain the importance of ADAP. Phone calls and emails to these Chairs will not be effective. Ideally, letters should be faxed given the timeline of this issue. Mailed letters should be sent immediately.

Contact information:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Email: governor@governor.ca.gov

Senate Budget Chair Wesley Chesbro:
Fax: 916-323-6958
Mail: The Honorable Wesley Chesbro
State Capitol, Room 5100
Sacramento, CA 95814

Assembly Budget Chair Jenny Oropeza
Fax: 916-319-2155
Mail: The Honorable Jenny Oropeza
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0055

Sample Phone message:

“I am opposed to Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cap the California AIDS Drug Assistance Program. For the first time, under any administration, California will have a waiting list for this lifesaving program. This is an inhumane proposal that will result in higher costs to the state in the future.”

Sample Letter:

Date

Senator Wes Chesbro
Assemblywoman Jenny Oropeza
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814

RE: Proposed Mid-Year Enrollment Cap on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)

Dear Members,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cap enrollment in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP provides life-prolonging drugs to HIV-positive Californians who couldn’t otherwise afford them. It is one of the most important programs in California’s fight against HIV. I request that you continue your strong support of this life saving program and reject the proposal to cap it.

(Put a personal statement here. Talk about why ADAP is important to you or someone you care about)

As you know anti-HIV medications can make the difference between a life and death for people with HIV and they cost between $10,000 and $15,000 per year. Most people who are underinsured or uninsured cannot afford to pay for these medications and still cover their living expenses. ADAP is a lifeline for about 27,000 Californians with HIV.

Capping the program would leave California with a waiting list. People who need ADAP would have to wait for medications until someone left the program regardless of much their health had deteriorated. Without early access to treatment, many would become much sicker, ultimately leading to disability or death. In two of the states that have already been forced to create a waiting list, people have died while on the list.

I appreciate the support that the California state government has shown for HIV/AIDS issues and for ADAP in particular. Please reject these harmful caps and ensure that the program stays open for those who depend on it.

Sincerely,

Your name

Background:
Under the Governor’s proposal, people would be allowed to enroll in ADAP only when others leave the program. If the rates of entry to and departure from program remained the same, it would mean that as many as 720 people could be placed on a waiting list during the six month period. There is no guarantee that they would be served at the end of the six months. There are no provisions for determining state of health or medical need for those on the waiting list. There is also a possibility that the cap would cause people to stay on the program longer than they would normally due to fear of losing eligibility, meaning that the number of people on the waiting list would likely grow much larger.

The ADAP cap is one of a package of proposals in which the Governor attacks health and human services disproportionately. In addition to ADAP, there are proposed cuts to several important health programs. One issue of importance to people living with HIV/AIDS is an additional 10% cut in reimbursement to Medi-Cal providers. This cut comes on top of a 5% cut enacted for this year’s budget cycle. As Medi-Cal’s already low reimbursement rates continue to fall, fewer and fewer doctors will be able to afford to serve Medi-Cal patients, making more and more difficult for the almost 28,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries with HIV/AIDS to find doctors.

The cap on ADAP is estimated to save the state only $900,000, while potentially causing great harm for at least 720 HIV positive Californians. HIV/AIDS programs have already taken cuts for this budget year. Additionally, in order to adequately fund ADAP for the current budget year with no new state general fund dollars, advocates for people with HIV/AIDS reluctantly agreed to a $7 million shift in resources from the HIV Therapuetic Monitoring program to ADAP. The California HIV/AIDS effort has sustained these cuts in the face of ever growing need.

It may be even more important to respond to this mid-year cut to ADAP in light of next year’s budget need. ADAP faces an estimated $45 million shortfall for FY 2004-2005. The strength of the response to the Governor’s current proposal will likely impact our ability to get enough funds to keep the program at its current level next year. With the repeal of the vehicle license fee, Governor Schwarzenegger increased the budget deficit by $4 billion to approximately $12 billion. Getting the necessary new money to sustain ADAP when the Governor has pledged not to increase revenues will be an uphill battle for people with HIV/AIDS and their advocates.