AHF opposes Florida officials' AIDS budget proposal at 'Rule 64D' hearings

Beginning Monday April 25^th the Florida Department of Health is conducting four public hearings on proposed reductions to the eligibility threshold to Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and possibly other Ryan White funded programs and services. The first of these forums will take place Monday April 25 in Tallahassee (1pm - 4pm, Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Room 166, Tallahassee, 32399). AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is spearheading a statewide campaign to get concerned members of the community out to these meetings to help save Florida AIDS patients and save lifesaving programs and services for low-income Floridians. The hearings, known as 'Rule 64D' hearings or meetings for the Florida State Department of Health rule governing delivery of such care and services, are likely to be well-attended by concerned AIDS patients and community members from around the state.

In particular, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will vehemently oppose Florida officials' proposal to reduce the eligibility threshold for many of the state's lifesaving AIDS programs from the current income eligibility requirement: 400% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL) down to 200% FPL—a move that might appear to save the state some money in the short term; however, one that would also cut thousands of vulnerable Floridians off from lifesaving HIV/AIDS care and services and ultimately lead to far higher medical costs to the state as these AIDS patients became ill and sought more expensive emergency care at hospitals around the state.

Florida—with nation's third largest HIV/AIDS caseload—has placed 3,807 HIV/AIDS patients on a waiting list to access its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federal/state program that helps provide lifesaving AIDS drugs to low-income Americans. This accounts for more than half of the nationwide total of people on ADAP waiting lists. (As of April 15 there were 7,885 people in need of HIV/AIDS medications on ADAP waiting lists in eleven states.)

"Unfortunately, many vulnerable HIV/AIDS patients throughout Florida may become permanently ineligible for continuation of lifesaving services if state officials succeed in changing the current income eligibility requirement for programs like ADAP," said Michael Kahane, Southern Bureau Chief for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "On paper and given the financial crisis affecting Florida, an eligibility reduction from 400% of Federal Poverty Level down to 200% seems like it might not be that drastic at first blush; however, when you drill down, you find that a single Floridian living with AIDS earning anything more than $21,780 per year would no longer qualify for any assistance whatsoever. Hundreds of Florida AIDS patients could immediately be disenrolled from ADAP and other programs. These patients' drugs and drug regimens can cost $12,000 to $15,000 per year—so these newly ineligible patients might face drug costs that are easily more than half of their income. In light of this, AHF insists that Florida keeps its eligibility threshold at 400% of Federal Poverty Level."

The 2011 Federal Poverty Level income for a single individual living in one of the 48 contiguous states or the District of Columbia is $10,890. 200% of the 2011 FPL would be an income of just $21,780; 300%—$32,670; 400% of FPL—the current eligibility threshold in Florida—is $43,920.

Florida's proposed changes to Rule 64D-4 could have detrimental effects on eligibility for these programs:

• ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program)
• AICP (AIDS Insurance Continuation Program)
• HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS)
• Co-Pay Assistance

Nationwide, ADAPs serve over 165,000 people, accounting for one third of people on AIDS treatment in the U.S. Unfortunately, the need for these programs expands every year, as more and more people become infected and diagnosed with HIV/AIDS; each year thousands of newly diagnosed HIV patients turn to ADAPs because they cannot afford their medicines.