States roll back HIV drug access as federal funds stagnate 

States roll back HIV drug access as federal funds stagnate 

With more than a decade of unchanged federal aid for HIV medication, states are beginning to make hard decisions on how they administer their programs helping HIV-positive individuals access the medications they need. 

© AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

More than 20 states are actively reducing or considering cutting back on their funding of programs helping people access HIV medications, as federal funding fails to keep up with the costs, according to a new report from the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD). 

The report found that 17 states and Washington, D.C., are actively enacting measures to constrain the costs of their AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP).

An additional five are considering similar measures that these states are using, including lowering financial eligibility, bringing back waitlists or reducing their drug formularies, which dictate which drugs they cover. 

“Federal funding for ADAPs has remained relatively unchanged over the last decade, while client enrollment and healthcare costs, including prescription drug, insurance premium, and cost-sharing expenditures, have continued to increase,” said NASTAD’s report. 

KFF noted that more than a decade of stagnant appropriations from Congress — set at $900.3 million since fiscal year 2014 — has effectively resulted in ADAPs having the same purchasing power as they did in 1999 due to inflation. 

“ADAPs may increasingly face budget pressures that could lead to additional such measures in the future. This could leave growing numbers of people with HIV ineligible for safety-net services, particularly if states further lower income eligibility limits or institute waiting lists,” KFF’s analysis read. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, I’m Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Noem fends off attacks from left and right in heated hearing: 5 takeaways

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced aggressive lines of questioning from members of both sides of the aisle in a long-awaited hearing that fell amid growing scrutiny of the secretary’s handling of the department. Noem received a chilly reception at the Senate Judiciary Committee, even from some of the committee’s GOP members, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) unleashing a 10-minute tirade he described as a performance review and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) questioning a $220 million ad campaign he said “boosted your name recognition.”

Local and state headlines on health care:

New Mexico health department reports more measles cases among inmates at more detention facilities (Source New Mexico) 

Pockets of unvaccinated communities are driving measles outbreaks in California (CalMatters) 

Pennie: Nearly 20,000 dropped health coverage in Pennsylvania in February alone (FOX56)

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

A new one-a-day-pill holds promise for HIV’s ‘forgotten population’ (NPR) 

MAHA goes global: Inside the rise of the Make Europe Healthy Again movement (Stat) 

Even patients are shocked by the prices their insurers will pay — and it costs all of us (KFF Health News) 

Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:

End-stage disease shouldn’t be the entry to care

The US doesn’t need a surgeon general who is sideways on science 

You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow! 

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