Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Week Ending: Sept. 28, 2018
By: Matthew Rose & Sable K. Nelson

Threat To The ACA Turns Up The Heat On Attorney General Races

According to recent reporting by Kaiser Health News, as Republican and Democratic attorneys general square off on a Texas case that threatens to dismantle consumer protections in the federal health law, campaigns across the country for states’ highest legal officer get hotter. For more information, READ: https://khn.org/news/threat-to-the-aca-turns-up-the-heat-on-attorney-general-races/

CMS Administrator Verma Stresses Work Requirements

At the 2018 Medicaid Managed Care Summit in Washington, Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator responded to the opposition to Medicaid work requirements by stating: “I have heard the criticism and felt the resistance, but I reject the premise and here is why: It is not compassionate to trap people on government programs or create greater dependency on public assistance as we expand programs like Medicaid.” Over 4,300 Medicaid expansion enrollees in Arkansas are losing coverage because they did not comply with the state’s work requirement mandate. According to recent reports, more than 1,000 Arkansas Works enrollees have found jobs since the program began in July. Also in her comments, Administrator Verma affirmed her support for block granting Medicaid, saying the only way the federal government can end its micromanagement of states is to move away from entitlement programs. For more information, READ: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180927/NEWS/180929907

A Critical Look at the Decision of the NIH in Funding New Prevention Research

The new IRMA report “Whose Choice is it Anyway?” takes a look at the NIH’s decision to no longer fund prevention technologies that are used at time of sex and are topical. The NIH conducted an input process last year that concluded with a release of new HIV prevention research priorities that favor long acting, systemic formulations (like vaccines, implants and injectables) and negate the need for short acting, user-controlled, non-systemic approaches (like vaginal and rectal microbicides). IRMA was curious about the input that was collected—did most scientists, advocates, and other stakeholders indeed prioritize long acting, systemic formulations, showing little to no interest in other approaches like microbicides?

You can check out the slides and listen to the recording here.

Please share the report widely, and reach out directly to the folks in power at the NIH and the HPTN. They STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO US. They still have the opportunity to walk the talk, to stand by their stated commitment to listen to communities and to work with us to create HIV prevention options WE want.

Buyer Beware: New Cheaper Insurance Policies May Have Big Coverage Gaps

If you’re looking for cheaper health insurance, a whole host of new options will hit the market starting Tuesday. But buyer beware! If you get sick, the new plans – known as short-term, limited duration insurance — may not pay for the medical care you need. Read more:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/01/652141154/buyer-beware-new-cheaper-insurance-policies-may-have-big-coverage-gaps

What You Can Do

TAKE ACTION: It is very important that our elected officials hear from us to protect federal HIV funding for HIV prevention and care.  Speak truth to power by sharing your personal stories with your elected officials. It is vitally important to meet your federal elected officials when they are at home. If we don’t support and advocate for HIV funding and programs, who will?  Our movement cannot afford to stand on the sidelines.  Your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives need to hear from you.

• Find your U.S. Senators: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
• Find your U.S. Representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Also, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE in time for the general mid-term election happening this year:

For more information, VISIT→ https://www.eac.gov/voters/register-and-vote-in-your-state/

Finally, PARTICIPATE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION(S) in your state: 11/6/18

What NMAC is Doing About It

• NMAC is working to provide information to federal agencies as they work on the 2020 budgets.NMAC remains vigilant in its advocacy to protect FY19 government funding and the existence of the social safety net.
• NMAC released a Biomedical HIV Prevention “Blueprint” entitled Expanding Access to Biomedical HIV Prevention: Tailoring Approaches for Effectively Serving Communities of Color, a new report that establishes strategies to effectively use techniques such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Treatment as Prevention (TasP) to end the HIV epidemic in communities of color. The full report can be found by visiting www.nmac.org/blueprint.

 Have a policy question? E-mail us! We would like to help if we can. Mrose@nmac.org or SNelson@nmac.org