Expand Healthcare Access; Withdraw Medicare Part D Changes
Washington, DC – “We the undersigned are cautiously encouraged by the President’s call during his State of the Union remarks to end HIV transmissions by 2030; however, this goal is achievable only with hard work and the appropriate investment of resources. We stand ready to work with him and his administration if they are serious. But to date, this administration’s actions speak louder than words and have moved us in the wrong direction. Reaching the goal of no new transmissions by 2030 will require federal policies that value the rights and dignity of vulnerable communities, including LGBTQ people, immigrants, and people of color. It will also require additional, robust funding for the entire federal HIV prevention and care portfolio as well as significantly expanded and equitable access to health care.
“To date, the President’s attacks on the Affordable Care Act and proposed cuts to non-defense discretionary spending have threatened to undermine our efforts to end the HIV epidemic. Even recent proposed changes to Medicare Part D are problematic as they would remove most of the protections that ensure people living with serious conditions, like HIV, can access the treatments they need. Changes like this, alongside budget cuts and other attacks on health care, roll back our progress in the response to HIV and threaten to reignite the domestic epidemic as opposed to positioning us to end it.
“We know what it will take to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by 2030, and we will be looking to the White House and this administration to enact good-faith policy reforms that would support that effort. We urge Secretary Azar and President Trump to honor their new commitment by addressing these issues. They can start by withdrawing the proposed rule change to Part D’s protected classes. But the real proof will be in the President’s FY 2020 budget request next month.”
Jesse Milan, Jr., CEO, AIDS United
Kathie Hiers, CEO, AIDS Alabama
John Carlo, MD, CEO, Prism Health North Texas
Carolyn McAllaster, Director, Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative
Nic Carlisle, Executive Director, Southern AIDS Coalition
Raniyah Copeland, CEO, Black AIDS Institute
Joe Hollendoner, CEO, San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Craig Thompson, CEO, APLA Health
William J. Hardy, President and CEO, Equitas Health
Guillermo Chacon, President, Latino Commission on AIDS
Kelsey Louie, CEO, Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)
John Peller, President and CEO, AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Mary Elizabeth Marr, CEO, Thrive Alabama
John Gatto, Senior Vice President, Justice Resource Institute
David Ernesto Munar, President and CEO, Howard Brown Health
Patricia Nalls, Executive Director, The Women’s Collective
Janetta Johnson, Executive Director, TGI Justice Project
Katy Caldwell, CEO, Legacy Community Health
Doug Wirth, President and CEO, Amida Care
Tyler TerMeer, Executive Director, Cascade AIDS Project
Noel Twilbeck, CEO, CrescentCare
Daniel Ledo, Chairman, Board of Directors, Chattanooga C.A.R.E.S.
###
About AIDS United:
AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant-making, capacity building, and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV-related policy for U.S. populations and communities most impacted by the epidemic. To date, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy. www.aidsunited.org
