I'm sharing an action alert from Wyoming Equality's Joe Corrigan. Please contact your legislators today! A huge thank you to my friends Will and Patrick who first turned us on to this error, and everyone who contributed talking points.
Find your Representative
here, and find your Senator
here. For a complete list of all Senators and Representatives visit the
LSO Website.
"Dear Friends,
Yesterday we learned of a mistake in the Wyoming Health Department Budget regarding funding for HIV/AIDS Treatment. The error cuts treatment funds by $400,000.00. If not corrected it could cost the state matching funds from the Ryan White Care Act Part B. I am asking you to please take the time today to email your Senator and Representative and ask them to restore these funds. Please prepare your own original email. You can send your email to as many Senators and Representatives as you like. Please be as polite as possible. Your letter may make all the difference in the world for the 135 currently people being helped by this program as well as future recipients. Talking points are listed below. Shorter letters are appreciated by our elected officials.
Talking Points:
100% of the money in this program goes to treatment and over 90% of that goes to very expensive antiretroviral medication. While the average cost to treat a person with HIV medication therapy is over $25,000.00 annually, the cost of hospitalization due to untreated AIDS can be at least 30 times that.
The Wyoming HIV Services Program serves over 150 adults and children living with HIV. 135 are eligible for assistance. Wyoming residents who do not qualify for any other insurance coverage are eligible for the WY RWCA A/B and the guidelines are income restricted. Funding is not available to Wyomingites with gross income above $35,955. If you do the math; and subtracting $25,000 for medical treatment leaves less than $11,000 per year for other living expenses.
The counties with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS are Laramie and Natrona Counties. However, as of 2007 the Wyoming Department of Health HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program has reported incidence of HIV/AIDS in every county.
This supplemental funding was added to the WDH Budget in 2003 when it was discovered Wyoming was the only state that did not contribute to the care of its HIV/AIDS patients thus rendering the state ineligible for any federal funding matches. AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) funding comes from federal funding. State matching funds are required. The legislation was sponsored by former Representative Jerry Ickel, (R. Sheridan CO.) and former Senator Mike Massey (D. Albany Co.)
The $400,000 cut may be replaced by rebate funds from Pharmaceutical Companies. However, these rebates occur after a prescription is filled. If money is not available for the purchase, the rebate would not be available. These Pharmaceutical rebate funds are not a guaranteed funding source.
At one time last year the waiting list nationwide for Ryan White Part B Funds included approx. 9,000 people. Relying on Pharmaceutical Rebate Funds to make up a budget cut would be very risky as almost every state will be using the same plan. Rebate funds could easily be exhausted.
Most Wyoming Agency Budgets were cut by 8 to 12%. If we don’t restore this $400,000.00 error it would result in a 54% cut for HIV/AIDS Treatment Funds.
If funding is not restored it could also mean funds will be exhausted and no treatment dollars will remain to purchase medications for the last four months of the year.
If lack of funding results in a discontinuance of treatment for persons with HIV/AIDS, the resumption of treatment is often a failure.
We need to keep our current Maintenance of Effort Service Levels to prevent the risk of losing our current funding level of Ryan White Care Act Funding in future years. (Maintenance of Effort requires that all Ryan White Part B grantees contribute at least the same amount of state fund for HIV-related activities as the previous fiscal year.)
This cut, $400,000, is not a large portion of the Wyoming Budget. For purposes of comparison only, it is less than the cost of maintaining the household staff at the Governor’s Mansion.
Increasing drug costs, more infections, and less people with insurance have put steady upward pressure on HIV treatment costs, and Wyoming is no exception.
Help ensure that Wyoming residents will continue to have access to medications for HIV/AIDS treatment that they otherwise would not be able to afford.
Senators and Representatives are listed below with their email address for your convenience. Thank you for your help.
Joe Corrigan"
Major thanks to Joe for putting this together! Remember this is urgent and our lawmakers need to hear from us this morning!
Jeran
