For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
GOVERNOR’S MAY REVISE A VICTORY FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS
Advocates Praise Increases to Life-Saving Drug Programs
May 13, 2005, Los Angeles, CA – AIDS Project Los Angeles today praised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for taking two steps to make sure people who need life-saving drugs don’t have to wait to get them.
In his proposed May Revise budget, released today, the governor increased funding for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to $268.3 million, up by $4.7 million from his January budget.
He also proposed $94 million in new funds ($47 from state General Funds) to continue providing drugs to Medi-Cal beneficiaries when they transition to the new federal Medicare prescription drug plan, starting in January.
“The governor gets it,” said APLA Executive Director Craig E. Thompson. “These programs are not only critical, they’re also cost-effective. If people with HIV/AIDS lose access to these drugs, they’re likely to get sicker and cost the state more in the long run.”
Increased funding for ADAP would be drawn from additional rebate dollars the program earns from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture HIV/AIDS drugs.
“California’s ADAP has led the nation in negotiating increased rebates from the big drug companies,” Thompson said. “The program is one of the most efficient in the country, and allows us to provide drug therapy to all Californians who need it.”
ADAP provides free HIV/AIDS drugs to some 26,000 low-income uninsured or under-insured Californians each year. Care for a person with AIDS on Medi-Cal is estimated to cost the state three times the $7,000 ADAP spends per beneficiary each year.
The governor’s proposal to continue Medi-Cal drug coverage for the “dually eligible” anticipates a gap in the new Medicare drug plan. Medicare will not cover certain drugs on Medi-Cal’s formulary, including whole classes of mild tranquilizers, some drugs that combat HIV/AIDS-related opportunistic infections and certain over-the-counter medications.
“This is a smart proposal,” Thompson said. “This money will help ease a difficult transition to Medicare Part D and ensure that the state’s oldest, sickest and poorest people continue to receive the drugs they need.”
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Founded by four friends in 1982, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.
###
