ADAP tight funding proposal

[gregftl]

So lately I've been affected down here in Ft Lauderdale by the tightening of ADAP funding. Those of us who dont quite qualify of ADAP and make over the income level are now being shoved out of the system and not given access to our meds thru Ryan White. What I dont understand is if funding is coming up short.......and people qualify for ADAP (in my state making under 30,000yr).......why dont states make people that qualilfy for ADAP just go an apply for patients assistance programs thru the drug companies??? I've been to almost all of the websites of the hiv drug companies and their cutoff for assistance is 35,000/yr. Couldnt states save a ton of money by requiring people to go that route first before putting them into ADAP? Shouldn't ADAP/Ryan White be a last resort for people that cannot get access to hiv meds??? Say for us people that make 15,000 or so over the ADAP cutoff but yet cannot afford 25,000 a year for hiv meds? And for those of us who have to support two people?

Greg

[Robert]

Greg

that's a good question.  Just curious?  What do the drug companies offer in terms of  patients assistance programs?  Is it free?  I pay nothing on ADAP but I'm also on SSDI.  But even if the drug companies offer the drugs at cost then maybe I could afford that.  I'll admit I'm a little worried.  Out here in California we have a $14B dollar deficit and the governor is cutting back on everything.  Right now the state covers the "donut hole" for Medicare Part D prescriptions program but the state just might renege on that which means I need to come up with a couple of grand.  Maybe it's cheaper with if I go directly to the companies?

Good luck.  I've been reading your posts and I think you're really getting screwed.  I wish I could help.

robert

[gregftl]

Well I know bridges of access....glaxo smith kline's program only requires a 10 dollar co-pay when u pick up your meds. I'm assuming all the other companies offer something similar.

Greg

[aztecan]

How Ryan White funds are spent depends on the state in which you live and there are almost always income restrictions.

I have a friend who doesn't qualify for anything. He  pays more than $700 a month in insurance premiums, not counting his deductible, copays, etc.

I am sorry to say that, in some cases, a person must decide what is more important, the money or the meds.

As I mentioned in another thread, I advised one heterosexual couple to get a divorce because, should they stay married, the husband would lose all of his benefits because of his wife's income.

I also have advised other folks to change jobs or to quit a second job if they wanted benefits. That is just the way it is.

Our Alan has said it sucks being a prisoner of the system. He is absolutely correct.

If someone makes too much money to qualify for services/ADAP/etc., yet doesn't  have health insurance as a benefit of their employment, they may need to consider changing jobs.

HUGS,

Mark

[gregftl]

How did you friend get health insurance having hiv?

Down here in florida we had been spoiled. People that didnt qualify for ADAP could get their meds thru Ryan White. There was no income cap on Ryan White. So amazingly someone that made 100,000 bucks a year could still get their meds thru Ryan White. But now that so many people are in the system and Broward County has one of the highest HIV populations in the country funding is becoming thin. So they changed the rules on getting meds thru Ryan White to fit the same criteria as ADAP. Personally I think maybe putting a cap of 60,000 dollars for a household of 2 would have sufficed and helped the funding but no instead they have to just cut out everyone. Some might ask then what is the point of having Ryan White for meds now then. Who knows. So now alot of us are possibly gonna get cut off because the funding isnt enough for all the services. And being self employed isnt a cake walk to try and get assistance. They are so suspicious of you. ........Thanks Iraq War!

[allopathicholistic]

I am sorry to say that, in some cases, a person must decide what is more important, the money or the meds.

I'm in shock that people today actually haveto consider divorce in order to look (on paper) like they're standing on shaky financial ground.  It's almost like people are being penalized for being a step above poor and are forced to relegate themselves backwards ('backwards', how apropos). Then why even bother trying to build a life? No wonder why people wanna escape with party drugs. And so the chasm between rich and poor widens because no one wants to be in that burdensome middle. What's next? A revolution?

[allopathicholistic]

I also have advised other folks to change jobs or to quit a second job if they wanted benefits. That is just the way it is.

Good luck to anyone trying to find the golden goose of a great job with a superb health plan. It's becoming more rare. 

The percentage of people (workers and dependents) with employment-based health insurance has dropped from 70 percent in 1987 to 59 percent in 2006. This is the lowest level of employment-based insurance coverage in more than a decade.

Source: http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml

These days corporations are big on reducing liability by using 3rd parties for labor. And it goes beyond the cliche situations of a temp bookkeeper for a month or a temp receptionist for a day. I saw it with my own eyes. Middle managers, licensed specialists, positions you wouldn't normally associate agencies, working for years (yes, years) without health insurance by "working" at a company but through a 3rd party agency. They don't get sickdays, they don't get tons of things, just a paycheck. It's a big big trend and it's all about companies minimizing liability and costs. Sick and foul.  Of course there's the other end of the spectrum (i.e., low-paying jobs that are given the nod of approval by ADAP, etc.)

[Desertguy]

I consider myself lucky.  I have private Insurance but go thru the VA for my HIV Doc & Meds.  I am on Atripla and it costs me $7.00 per month in Co-Pay thru the VA.  I would be afraid to ask what it would cost me per month thru my Insurance.
So if any of you are Veterans you might consdier getting signed up for Benefits or if you already have them use the VA for your Doc/Meds.

Take Care
Lucky desertguy