Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Week Ending: Oct. 5, 2018
By: Matthew Rose & Sable K. Nelson

NOTE: The U.S. House of Representatives is out on recess until Nov. 13 (after the 2018 mid-term elections). The U.S. Senate is still in session this week.

Positive Women’s Network Hosts Webinar on Public Charge Impact on PLWH

On October 03, 2018 the Positive Women’s Network USA hosted a webinar entitled “Public Charge: What Does It Mean for the HIV Community?” Throughout history, people have moved to make better lives for themselves and their children. Trump’s “public charge” rule change, will reduce our neighbors, who want the same things for their families that we all want–health, safety, dignity, economic security–to a calculation of what is in their pockets when they arrive and the cost of any pre-existing health conditions they may have. The invaluable contributions of immigrants to their communities, families, and our nation will be ignored and discarded. To view the slide deck, click here: https://www.pwn-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Webinar-Slides-Public-Charge-and-HIV.pdf

Changes In SAMHSA Leadership

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that the director of its mental health center, Paolo del Vecchio, is being reassigned. Paolo del Vecchio, who has led the agency’s mental health center since 2012, has been tapped to run its Office of Management, Technology, and Operations. HIV is inextricably linked to mental health. Moreover, SAMHSA plays an important role in HIV prevention and treatment in communities of color. SAMHSA received $116.0 m for its Minority AIDS Initiative programming in FY18. The program has been flat-funded and will receive the same amount in FY19. For more information, READ: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-ehealth/2018/10/05/search-for-vha-head-gets-serious-363423 (please see: LEADERSHIP SHUFFLE AT SAMHSA)

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Some Things Old, Some Things New

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner discuss final action on bills in Congress to address the opioid epidemic and fund federal health agencies. They also look at new efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on teen nicotine use. For more information, LISTEN: https://khn.org/news/podcast-khns-what-the-health-some-things-old-some-things-new/

U.S. SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN FILES DISCHARGE PETITION TO FORCE SENATE VOTE ON OVERTURNING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EXPANSION OF JUNK INSURANCE PLANS

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin filed a discharge petition that will force a Senate vote on her resolution to overturn the Trump Administration’s expansion of junk insurance plans that can deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and don’t have to provide essential health services like prescription drugs, emergency room visits and maternity care.
Senator Baldwin’s effort is supported by more than 20 of the nation’s top health care organizations including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), American Heart Association, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, WomenHeart, National Women’s Law Center, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Osteopathic Association, American Psychiatric Association, Residential Eating Disorders Consortium, Protect Our Care, Families USA, AIDS United, Association for Community Affiliated Plans, Mental Health America and the Little Lobbyists.

The signed discharge petition is available here.

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 working to supporting HIV-positive members of the military in their fight about the administration separation.
• NMAC is working with coalition partners on working on the drafting the next round of ending the epidemic.
• NMAC will continue to support getting out the vote efforts up to November 6 to express the importance of voting and what it can mean for the election.

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