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Author Topic: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!  (Read 12893 times)

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Offline buginme2

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Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« on: March 27, 2013, 11:07:34 pm »
With the recent sequestration and now the continuing resolution budget that was just passed by congress, funding for ADAP has been cut.  They estimate a cut of $50 million of which $35 million will be cut from ADAP and $15 from Ryan White part C which provides clinical care. 

The Body is estimating that 8000 people could be in jeopardy of losing the funding for their HIV medications.

Donna Crews, Director of Government Affairs at AIDS United, noted that this is one of the things that make this different from past funding crises. "Before, we had waiting lists for new applicants, but these would be people who have already been getting their medications through ADAP,"

http://www.thebody.com/content/71057/funding-for-adap-not-in-continuing-resolution.html


The Aids Healthcare Foundation AHF today called on Gilead and other HIV drug manufacturers to lower their prices so ADAP programs could continue to afford supplying medication for all that need it.   They noted that the CEO of Gilead will make up to $90 million this year and they could afford to lower the price of their drugs to compensate for the reduced funding.  Stribild costs $28500 per year in the US. 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ahf-congress-puts-foot-down-on-funding-high-priced-aids-drugs-2013-03-27

AHF states that Gilead is using ADAP as their personal piggy bank, charging the government outrages costs for their medications and lining their pockets with the profits. 

Does anyone know how Obamacare will affect all this?   I assume (maybe incorrectly) that once Obamacare goes into affect then people will then be eligible to purchase their own insurance and be subsidized by the government?  Theoretically reducing the need for ADAP and Ryan White? 


Don't be fancy, just get dancey

Offline mitch777

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2013, 11:52:32 pm »
depressed  :(
angry  >:(

33 years hiv+ with a curtsy.

Offline mikeyb39

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2013, 12:22:00 am »
thats really a sad thing to hear.  I would have thought that something would have been done shortly after the sequester, but no one is really discussing it from what i hear.

I have heard that we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg thus far and its only going to get worse.  Already closing ATC towers, TSA will have to begin letting folks go.  this is going to cause a big riffle for the flying public.

How long does all this have to continue before someone comes to their senses
11/02/2010  cd4-251, vl-591000
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Offline wolfter

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2013, 01:01:36 am »
depressed  :(
angry  >:(

me too.  we elders need to instill in the newer generations what our generation fought for.  I'm happy to say I did well with my lessons taught and learned.

This is a great thread. 

wolfie,  who wants to change a tagline but doesn't know how.....lol
Being honest is not wronging others, continuing the dishonesty is.

Offline mitch777

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2013, 09:10:04 am »
So...
ADAP total federal funding budget= $900 million
ONE man's paycheck (CEO of Gilead)= $90 million
hmmm....
 >:(

And...
It looks like congress voted along party lines to "punish" the greed of the pharmaceutical companies by not funding ADAP.
Makes sense.
If they (the republicans who voted against funding) want to save the American tax payers some money, why not kill off the pozzies by cutting off their life saving meds?
 >:(

Anyone on ADAP or who ever expects to be on ADAP one day should be furious with congress for their lack of compassion and the pharmaceutical companies for their greed!
33 years hiv+ with a curtsy.

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2013, 11:52:37 am »
wolfie,  who wants to change a tagline but doesn't know how.....lol
click on the word USER over on the top of the left hand column.
Under Modify Profile, click Forum Profile
change the SIGNATURE area

Does anyone know how Obamacare will affect all this?   I assume (maybe incorrectly) that once Obamacare goes into affect then people will then be eligible to purchase their own insurance and be subsidized by the government?  Theoretically reducing the need for ADAP and Ryan White? 
exactly how the ACA and Medicaid Expansion (ME) will change ADAP/Ryan White isn't totally known right now. Just as indigent funding to hospitals ie "disproportionate share money" (fed money that goes to hospitals to pay for caring for those without insurance ie the poor/indigent) is about to be substantially cut, the theory is that Medicaid Expansion will cover those people who have no insurance. Of course, this all depends on if your state has accepted ME. (in my area, NC has totally rejected it and Gov. McCory is seeking to defund $8 of the current ADAP program. In SC the House has rejected ME, the Senate is on furlough before their debate; but ADAP has been funded $4.1m for 3 more yrs )

The theory is that some form of ADAP will always be needed to fill in the gap;s but you guess correctly that what ADAP/Ryan White has historically paid for will be changing as the ACA and ME begin to cover what ADAP/Ryan White has been covering.

the theory for us on the SC HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force is that HIV+ people, unlike people sick with other diseases, fought for many years to get extra funding and assistance to care for us, and it would truly be a shame to sit back and let all that hard work vanish because we hope ACA/ME will fill in all the gaps. While we have been hosting ME Community Forums throughout the state to get citizens engaged toward the acceptance of ME, we have still been advocating for ADAP/RW as a source of funding that will be needed if our state doesn't pass ME and will be needed if ME is passed to subsidize the proper care and treatment of those living with HIV.

Anyone on ADAP or who ever expects to be on ADAP one day should be furious with congress for their lack of compassion and the pharmaceutical companies for their greed!
I'm always saddened when our state has ADAP rallies, and we're hard pressed to even get 5 of the 2300+ people on ADAP out to champion the cause for the access that they use to medications that save their lives. You would think that calling off one day of work to save your access to expensive ARVs would be worth it. sigh! Even though I haven't used ADAP funding in nearly 2 decades, I have continued advocating for those "missing" people because I understand how important ARVs and ADAP are - even if they don't understand enough to be standing beside me, talking to their Legislators.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
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Offline Ann

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2013, 12:59:58 pm »

AHF states that Gilead is using ADAP as their personal piggy bank, charging the government outrages costs for their medications and lining their pockets with the profits


^the crux of the matter.

Madder than a wet hen here.


I'm always saddened when our state has ADAP rallies, and we're hard pressed to even get 5 of the 2300+ people on ADAP out to champion the cause for the access that they use to medications that save their lives.


It wouldn't surprise me if many won't participate because they're too afraid people finding out they're poz.

It's difficult to protest/advocate while in a closet.

And yes, it's sad.
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"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2013, 01:06:45 pm »
It wouldn't surprise me if many won't participate because they're too afraid people finding out they're poz.
After poverty, the biggest barrier to access for Southern HIV positive people has got to be the religious stigma against sex, sexual orientation, and AIDS in general

but I guess I shouldn't even say it's just Southern folks in this predicament; not when Kansas is passing laws that will allow pozzies to  be discriminated against and even put into quarantine. There's some serious stigma to overcome! Shades of Huckabee and the early 90 ::)s
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline Ann

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2013, 01:13:25 pm »

but I guess I shouldn't even say it's just Southern folks in this predicament; not when Kansas is passing laws that will allow pozzies to  be discriminated against and even put into quarantine. There's some serious stigma to overcome! Shades of Huckabee and the early 90 ::)s


WHAT???

Would you start a new thread and provide some links? Please? Thanks.
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2013, 01:54:31 pm »
WHAT???

Would you start a new thread and provide some links? Please? Thanks.

sounds like a questionable assertion
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline wolfter

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2013, 01:56:11 pm »
Being honest is not wronging others, continuing the dishonesty is.

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #11 on: March 28, 2013, 02:03:27 pm »
Would you start a new thread and provide some links? Please? Thanks.
your wish = my command  ;)

it's been asked before; but what IS the matter with Kansas?
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=48018
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline thunter34

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2013, 02:59:45 pm »
Um...I am just now learning of this.

Um...I am on ADAP.

Um...it's been nice knowing you guys.

It really has.
AIDS isn't for sissies.

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2013, 03:06:18 pm »
Um...I am on ADAP.
if you make below >138% FPL, maybe consider moving to a state that has accepted Medicaid Expansion.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline thunter34

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #14 on: March 28, 2013, 03:23:46 pm »
if you make below >138% FPL, maybe consider moving to a state that has accepted Medicaid Expansion.

And how the heck am I supposed to do that?  Leave all my family behind?  I have two elderly parents.

Not to mention with what money?  I mean...I am employed FT, but not wealthily so.  I also have another job interview Tuesday for more money, but still.

I am going down into town tomorrow for a Ryan White renewal and to pick up some meds.  I am going to speak to the ADAP folks while there and find out just what the deal is.

You know...for those here who remember him, this is exactly the sort of thing that Tim warned of.

The ghost of Moffie hangs over this thread.
AIDS isn't for sissies.

Offline Ann

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2013, 03:46:34 pm »

You know...for those here who remember him, this is exactly the sort of thing that Tim warned of.

The ghost of Moffie hangs over this thread.


I was thinking the same thing earlier.

I hope it doesn't take a mounting death-toll like we had in the early years to wake people up and get them to ACT UP!
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #16 on: March 28, 2013, 03:53:56 pm »
I'd like to see more reporting on this before getting worked up.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline thunter34

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2013, 03:57:23 pm »
if you make below >138% FPL, maybe consider moving to a state that has accepted Medicaid Expansion.

Is that the level above which everyone else stands to lose meds?  Poor as I am, I am above that by a little bit.

Seriously...I'm scared.  I've got a backlog of about 2 months of meds and that's it.

Last time I went without meds, I sank back to AIDS level in less than three months.
AIDS isn't for sissies.

Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2013, 03:59:16 pm »
Let's not be melodramatic.

ADAP/Ryan White funding for 2012 was $3.325 billion.  Obama's budget for 2013 called for spending of $3.472 billion.  A $50 million cut represents about 1.5%.

No cut is a good thing,  but a little perspective may be helpful.

Fearmongering isn't helpful.

Modified to add a link (and correct grammar);
http://www.aids.gov/federal-resources/funding-opportunities/how-were-spending/

« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 04:06:14 pm by bmancanfly »
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Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2013, 04:15:17 pm »
As a matter of fact,  I think the mod's (or the OP) should change this thread title.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

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Offline mitch777

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2013, 04:39:53 pm »
As a matter of fact,  I think the mod's (or the OP) should change this thread title.
While the title of the thread doesn't really fit, the links provided clearly state that the $50 million is being cut from ADAP ($35 million) and Ryan White Act ($15 million).
This cut represents a MUCH larger cut than you suggest by calculating using the ENTIRE federal HIV spending budget.

It also comes at a time when MORE funds are needed in these programs and has the potential, if not restored, to cut people from ADAP.

I think we SHOULD be alarmed!
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 04:42:01 pm by mitch777 »
33 years hiv+ with a curtsy.

Offline Jeff G

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #21 on: March 28, 2013, 04:54:20 pm »
Mitch makes a good point . ADAP has been struggling to meet the demands that rely upon it already so news of more cuts are alarming , very alarming for people who are on waiting list in the least . It bad news , now we need to know how bad is it .
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Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #22 on: March 28, 2013, 05:08:32 pm »
Yeah,  let's not let the facts get in the way of our opinions.

The thread title is a completely incorrect,  and "alarming" people unnecessarily.

My numbers are accurate Mitch (and you chose not to post any yourself)

But I do agree that more funding is better.

There are many ways the system could work better.
1) increase funding
2) negotiate better drug prices
3) institute a copay for ADAP on a sliding scale based on ability to pay.
     
An average copay of $50 a month (some pay nothing,  some pay more based on your income) would generate about $120,000,000 a year - this would allow more people to be covered by ADAP. 
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

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Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #23 on: March 28, 2013, 05:15:02 pm »
And how the heck am I supposed to do that?  Leave all my family behind?
I hope you weren't taking offense.  :-[ However, yes, maybe. :'(

Other people have had to make drastic changes in their lives for healthcare. How much do you need ADAP and/or your meds?? I'm not at all saying that it would be "right" for you to have to move to get health care; but there are people that have to do just that all the time. Often people in rural areas where there is not a wide range of health care options have to move to other places. Sometimes even others with cancers and heart issues have to move themselves and their family to other states to get treatment

I' a pragmatic sort of guy and have thought about this issue a lot myself over the years. When I lived 50 miles south of Cleveland, I frequently wondered if I should have moved back to Cleveland because my OH county had no ASO and only 1 ID doctor. Now that I've moved back to the Carolinas, I wonder if I should have stayed in Ohio where my SNAP benefits were double from what I get down here. I an utterly certain that if the ASO in my area was not here, I would have already had to move back to Ohio to get proper health care.

I would hope you didn't have to move. I would hope that I didn't have to move again. But if it really was a life-or-death/survival situation, I would do what I've always done and that's to do what I had to do to stay alive. Your situation just goes to show that it's not just one person affected in a family when the health care system fails; it's all those people around us too.

of course, there are only choices than moving. One would be to advocate for funding before things affect people in our situations.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #24 on: March 28, 2013, 05:16:35 pm »
Fearmongering isn't helpful.
what will be your response if not 8,000 but 4,000 people were disenrolled from ADAP?

I think I'd like a little bit of fear to get people off their asses and contacting their legislator to stop the slide down this slope - before we go down this slope. Complaining afterwards won't do anything for the people that get hurt.

Blame this next part on driving 862 miles and spending 4 12-hour days last week advocating for  Medicaid Expansion: make sure to contact your Legislators. If you (meaning the collective YOU of the people that visit these forums) are not calling or writing your Legislators to tell them that ME is needed in your state or that ADAP should be properly funded, then if/when things fall apart in your state make sure to take some blame for not even voicing an opinion.

And if Medicaid Expansion DID pass in your state, did you let your Legislators know that was what you wanted. Have you asked them this year to continue to properly fund the state portion of ADAP??

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do [or say] nothing."
either Edmund Burke or Leo Tolstoy

Quote
Lisa Hazirjian, executive director of the N.C. AIDS Action Network, says her group, which advocates for the estimated 35,000 North Carolina residents with HIV/AIDS, is worried by a McCrory budget proposal to slash $8 million in funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which assists some 6,500 HIV/AIDS patients with paying for expensive medication.
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/mccrorys-medicaid-plan-doesnt-fix-whats-broken/Content?oid=3461535
in NC the Governor's budget has a good chance of winning approval as he did not slash-n-burn through all Medicaid and Health Care spending (you know, since the cut wasn't just to Medicaid meaning everyone would equally suffer, this budget justs leave out the funding for those nasty pozzies ;) ) In SC, the state health department has already been defunding ASO some funds in reaction to the cuts in the federal budget.


My personal belief is in advocacy, which at times includes some fear mongering. But is it fear mongering, if bad things would have happened unless that fear mongering got enough people to speak up to prevent the bad situation??

I remember before ADAP was even created. There was plenty of fear mongering about the real truth/fear of people dying without medications. It saddens me to remember how long it took, how many people died and how many were infected (myself included) while the government did nothing to halt an epidemic. It saddens me to remember presidential candidates actually running on a platform to put pozzies into detention camps. It saddens me to see how Kansas is still willing to make laws to go that far. It saddens me to see people not speak up for their own health care needs because religious stigma thinks it would be better for certain of kinds of people to just die. and it saddens me to hear the advocacy that has been the solution and the prevention of many of those issues being derided as fear mongering.

http://blog.nastad.org/2013/03/call-in-day-to-support-adap-and-ryan-white-part-c-emergency-relief-funding/
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline wolfter

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #25 on: March 28, 2013, 05:34:57 pm »
Nothing to fear unless you're one of the unlucky 8,000 who will lose access to LIFE saving drugs. 
Being honest is not wronging others, continuing the dishonesty is.

Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #26 on: March 28, 2013, 05:35:51 pm »

I remember before ADAP was even created. There was plenty of fear mongering about the real truth/fear of people dying without medications. It saddens me to remember how long it took, how many people died and how many were infected (myself included) while the government did nothing to halt an epidemic.

I do too.  I lived in NYC through all of the 80's and most of the 90's.  I buried a lover and dozens of friends. 

But screaming in a thread headline that "ADAP not in the budget this year (exclamation point)"
when funding is being reduce only 1.5% is giving people,  many of whom rely on ADAP for their lives, false information - a la Reefer Madness.  Let's not tell people the truth,  let's tell them what we want them to think. 

I think ADAP funding should be massively increased.  But you don't need to lie,  about the cuts,  to win the argument as to why it should be increased.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 05:39:45 pm by bmancanfly »
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Offline mecch

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #27 on: March 28, 2013, 05:41:59 pm »
Big pharma asks top price for its meds all over Europe. The US government isn't being singled out and milked...   Even my Swiss pharmacist had sticker shock when she handed over my first bottles of Isentress... 

This isn't an apology for Big Pharma, but if ADAP is cut its rather odd to lay the blame on the price of drugs alone.  Its mostly a US government funding-spending dilemma.

But I'd welcome any rich country trying to renegotiate the prices its pays for HIV drugs. 

The price of HIV drugs is one battle, universal health care and treatment in the USA is a rather larger, and different battle. Right?
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 05:48:52 pm by mecch »
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline mitch777

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #28 on: March 28, 2013, 05:55:44 pm »
Yeah,  let's not let the facts get in the way of our opinions.

The thread title is a completely incorrect,  and "alarming" people unnecessarily.

My numbers are accurate Mitch (and you chose not to post any yourself)

But I do agree that more funding is better.

There are many ways the system could work better.
1) increase funding
2) negotiate better drug prices
3) institute a copay for ADAP on a sliding scale based on ability to pay.
     
An average copay of $50 a month (some pay nothing,  some pay more based on your income) would generate about $120,000,000 a year - this would allow more people to be covered by ADAP.

My apologies to you for not looking more carefully at your math. :-[

But, I STILL stand by the rest of my comments.

ONE person not getting meds due to these cuts basically = ONE death if nobody gets alarmed.
THIS math IS correct.
33 years hiv+ with a curtsy.

Offline mitch777

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #29 on: March 28, 2013, 06:02:54 pm »
We seem to be mostly skipping over another point of the OP's post.

I am just as outraged that the CEO's salary (again,... ONE MAN) is 10% of the entire nations ADAP budget.
Congress did not restore ADAP funds to put pressure on the drug companies by punishing US and not them.

(I hope I got the math right this time) ::)
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 06:07:59 pm by mitch777 »
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Offline Dachshund

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #30 on: March 28, 2013, 06:15:07 pm »
I hope you weren't taking offense.  :-[ However, yes, maybe. :'(

Other people have had to make drastic changes in their lives for healthcare. How much do you need ADAP and/or your meds?? I'm not at all saying that it would be "right" for you to have to move to get health care; but there are people that have to do just that all the time. Often people in rural areas where there is not a wide range of health care options have to move to other places. Sometimes even others with cancers and heart issues have to move themselves and their family to other states to get treatment

I' a pragmatic sort of guy and have thought about this issue a lot myself over the years. When I lived 50 miles south of Cleveland, I frequently wondered if I should have moved back to Cleveland because my OH county had no ASO and only 1 ID doctor. Now that I've moved back to the Carolinas, I wonder if I should have stayed in Ohio where my SNAP benefits were double from what I get down here. I an utterly certain that if the ASO in my area was not here, I would have already had to move back to Ohio to get proper health care.

I would hope you didn't have to move. I would hope that I didn't have to move again. But if it really was a life-or-death/survival situation, I would do what I've always done and that's to do what I had to do to stay alive. Your situation just goes to show that it's not just one person affected in a family when the health care system fails; it's all those people around us too.

of course, there are only choices than moving. One would be to advocate for funding before things affect people in our situations.

Your situation was different. You left Ohio because you couldn't afford to live there, not to seek a place that would provide you health coverage. You were lucky enough to be able to move in with family and not away from family. Someone who is working, but still qualifies for ADAP is not someone with the disposable income available to just pack up and move. I doubt you could afford to move given the same circumstances.

Offline mecch

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #31 on: March 28, 2013, 06:20:36 pm »
We seem to be mostly skipping over another point of the OP's post.

I am just as outraged that the CEO's salary (again,... ONE MAN) is 10% of the entire nations ADAP budget.
Congress did not restore ADAP funds to put pressure on the drug companies by punishing US and not them.

(I hope I got the math right this time) ::)

The salary is outrageous. But again, not the principal issue here. The issue is universal health care and treatment. Not just for people with HIV.
Switzerland ranks above the USA on "economic freedom". (By the nasty right Heritage Foundation.... http://www.heritage.org/index/)   But just voted in a cap on outrageous executive compensation. 

USA will probably go to the dogs before doing something about the .1%.....   USA will choke and die on its Freedom Fries before it figures out there's a limit to this bullshit...

“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline mecch

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #32 on: March 28, 2013, 06:29:52 pm »
Hours at National Parks are cut. It's not because of Ranger's salaries being too high.

USA - get your shit together and fund the necessities of a highly developed, post-industrial,  ridiculously rich society.
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline mitch777

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #33 on: March 28, 2013, 06:31:22 pm »
The salary is outrageous. But again, not the principal issue here. The issue is universal health care and treatment. Not just for people with HIV.
Switzerland ranks above the USA on "economic freedom". (By the nasty right Heritage Foundation.... http://www.heritage.org/index/)   But just voted in a cap on outrageous executive compensation. 

USA will probably go to the dogs before doing something about the .1%.....   USA will choke and die on its Freedom Fries before it figures out there's a limit to this bullshit...

mecch,
I understand the principal issue but the thread is about this issue at this time and the reasons behind it.
I think you and I and many (not all) others agree the healthcare system still needs a major overhaul.
It's easy to get worked up.
I do it all of the time, especially when discussing ANY aspect of healthcare.

bman,
I think you also have some progressive ideas about our healthcare system.
It was just a bit surprising that you seem to be more aggravated with the thread title and fear mongering than the topic itself.

It would be nice to see us all stick together. :)
33 years hiv+ with a curtsy.

Offline mecch

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #34 on: March 28, 2013, 06:38:22 pm »
If someone loses their drugs, due to a cut in ADAP, the reason is not some executives' salaries. Its the sequester, and lack of universal health coverage. Vote a proper budget and THEN play hardball on health care costs.....
Its the same as skim-milk marriage.  Vote equal rights now.... No need to wait....
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #35 on: March 28, 2013, 06:51:15 pm »
My apologies to you for not looking more carefully at your math. :-[

No harm,  no foul.   ;)

As far as the cuts go,  they are troubling.  I've already contacted my Congressman,  and Senators,  and encouraged all my friends to do the same.  If you don't know who your congressman is;  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/        be a squeaky wheel.

Lot's of people complain about their gov't but can't even tell you the name of their Rep.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

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Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #36 on: March 28, 2013, 06:58:37 pm »
bman,
I think you also have some progressive ideas about our healthcare system.

I'm slightly to the left of Nancy Pelosi.    ;D
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< check out my tag line.  it's been that for years.

Meech has it right about the whole system being broken.   

If we had Medicare (or something like it) for all,  we wouldn't need ADAP.


"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 Bertrand Russell

Offline WillyWump

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #37 on: March 28, 2013, 07:06:36 pm »
if you make below >138% FPL, maybe consider moving to a state that has accepted Medicaid Expansion.

"If you make below 138%FPL, just move to another state"

because moving is so cheap.

LMAO. brilliant  ::)
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 07:24:29 pm by WillyWump »
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Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #38 on: March 28, 2013, 07:24:33 pm »
It was just a bit surprising that you seem to be more aggravated with the thread title and fear mongering than the topic itself.
yes, that was my issue too. In this set of forums, I couldn't believe that anyone would seem to so miss the point because of the hyperbole and poetic-license of a thread title. ;D have you never noticed the outlandish titles that show up in every forum? LOL Sure it's fine to want to bring some actual data into the picture; but for those nearly 8000 people in the federal estimate and god knows how many more potentially in NC, for them THIS title is pretty true. There's no adap funding in the budget for them.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #39 on: March 28, 2013, 07:26:38 pm »
Your situation was different. You left Ohio because you couldn't afford to live there, not to seek a place that would provide you health coverage. You were lucky enough to be able to move in with family and not away from family. Someone who is working, but still qualifies for ADAP is not someone with the disposable income available to just pack up and move. I doubt you could afford to move given the same circumstances.
i think i moved for the most basic of health care reasons - housing. I could have stayed in Ohio; but when evaluated against no ASO and 1 doc and a full service ASO; and every penny of my money going to the housing alone vs becoming a roommate at my parents (rather than my Ohio friends with their family), it seemed the healthier choice.

I never claimed my situation was identical. Living in Cleveland, I met many people who moved to Ohio to have access to heart treatment. One of my great uncles moved up and lived just on the other side of town (by the hospital) until he died a few years later. I have a friend in very rural Chester SC who had to pack up and move to Columbia (the state capital) to get better access to care.

because moving is very cheap.
IF heaven forbid Hunter loses access to ADAP, like many other people, he'll probably have to make some very hard choices. People get other jobs, move to other states, and move to other cities to get health care. It's another bane of our very broken system. While moving can be costly and odorous - it would be better than going without any meds and dying. That's all I was trying to say.


modified for spelling. This 102.6 fever I'm running is kicking my ass today  :o but the long playlist of Marvin Gaye is helping as I doze off-n-on
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 07:30:55 pm by leatherman »
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline Dachshund

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #40 on: March 28, 2013, 07:39:36 pm »
I'm just saying, you had healthcare, income and a place to move. You didn't have to worry about finding a job or housing. Take those out of the equation and you might realize how difficult it is for people with limited income to just pack up and move. Meds or no meds.

Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #41 on: March 28, 2013, 07:46:03 pm »
Why would someone move to Columbia when they could just drive for an hour on an interstate?
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline bmancanfly

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #42 on: March 28, 2013, 08:03:29 pm »
THIS title is pretty true.

No,  it's not.  It's like we've entered some sort of 1984 world of double speak.  Retaining 98.5% of ADAP funding is not the same as "Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year"! 

Mikie,  I have the greatest respect for the work that you do,  but promulgating falsehoods is never an effective exercise.  There is no guarantee that anyone will lose their coverage.  And stating that everyone will is totally wrongheaded and upsetting to those who receive ADAP.  And it's not necessary.

It's possible that the funding could be restored.
It's possible the drug companies will offer better pricing
A cost sharing plan could be instituted so no one is left out in the cold.

There are many ways this could be resolved and none of them  involve ADAP being defunded.

The problem is we have a notoriously inefficient healthcare system.  We spend twice as much as our counterparts in Europe,  for no better healthcare outcomes.    And too much of the discussion,  in my opinion,  is always about how can we get more funding rather than making the system work better.

It's hard to get everyone fired up about a funding decrease when there are so many different coverage regimes; ADAP,  Ryan White,  Medicaid,  Medicare,  Obamacare, private insurance etc.  A lot of people tune out when the cuts, or coverage short comings,  don't affect them.  If everyone was in the same boat (like Social Security)  funding cuts would be much more difficult.

 

« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 08:30:17 pm by bmancanfly »
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Offline buginme2

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #43 on: March 28, 2013, 08:30:47 pm »
As a matter of fact,  I think the mod's (or the OP) should change this thread title.

The thread title was pulled directly from the title of the article I had linked to.  I did change the words from continuing resolution to budget.  Budget was cleaner than continuing resolution.

The title may be a bit sensational but I don't agree that it's fear mongering.  The cuts to ADAP and Ryan White can be taken two different ways, either you can say it's just a 1.5% cut or you can say 8000 people are in jeopardy of losing their medications. Both would be right.
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Offline mecch

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #44 on: March 28, 2013, 08:34:27 pm »
Geez why the big deal about the title. Anyone reading the forum, noticing the title, can take a moment to read the content of the thread.  Nobody is going to have a freakout if they bother to read the thread.  The titles doesn't say ALL FUNDING dropped...
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Online leatherman

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #45 on: March 28, 2013, 09:55:33 pm »
And stating that everyone will is totally wrongheaded and upsetting to those who receive ADAP.  And it's not necessary.
now who's being sensational? LOL
nearly 8000 people is not everyone, as you so dramatically reworded it. Nearly 8000 is almost the same amount that were on the waiting lists less than 2 years ago.

You see this as something that probably isn't going to happen, and I see it as history of just a few short years ago repeating itself. While you might not imagine people losing ADAP, there have been a lot of people fighting that got nearly 10000 off the waiting lists just a short time ago.

It's possible that the funding could be restored.
It's possible the drug companies will offer better pricing
A cost sharing plan could be instituted so no one is left out in the cold.
it's not magic that makes any of those alternatives happen. Those things don't happen because the government and drug companies feel magnanimous. It's activists and advocates raising a warning that ADAP funding is being cut from the budget, and getting people stirred up to speak to their Legislators.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline phildinftlaudy

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Re: Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!
« Reply #46 on: March 28, 2013, 09:57:10 pm »
Titles are important - accurate titles... Take for example when those opposed to gay marriage title an article "Gay Marriage Destroys Families" - but then go on in the article to quote one or two small, invalid studies that seem to affirm their title, while either not covering those studies and the reality that show differently. What sticks in the human psyche is "Funding for ADAP not in the budget this year!" - If you want lawmakers and others in society to take you seriously than you can not brand things with false titles - because the minute someone finds out that the title is not an accurate reflection of reality, all credibility is lost.

In regards to the cuts, many of these cuts are probably based on equations that reflect that those under 135% (?) of FPL will have access to care/meds under ACA - even subtracting out those states that are "opting" out of Medicaid expansion - there are enough states doing the expansion (and some of the larger ones) that a significant portion of those currently on ADAP would fall into coverage under ADA.... So, while the funding is not being shown in the ADAP budget, it is still being shown in the ACA implementation budget (i.e. Medicaid).

This is also a political tactic used to get drug companies to provide the feds with lower prices, address outrageous CEO pay, etc.... Believe me, if there was truly a cut to the funds that are going to pharmaceutical companies that was going to occur as a result of the cut in funding to ADAP the pharmaceutical companies would lobby against it and you would see their stock prices plummeting and R&D (research and development) budgets being slashed.... but, this isn't happening because the money is not going away - it is being moved at the 1.5% rate over to ACA.... and, in fact, the pharmaceutical companies will probably have even a better year going forward as they will derive the reimbursements from those who qualify for expanded Medicaid, as well as those who are on ADAP. And, if the 1.5% is a conservative reduction, than the amount in ADAP in the budget will fund more meds for those who don't qualify for ACA coverage.

This is why it is just as important to watch stocks related to pharmaceutical companies, know who are strong supporters of ACA (insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies), and do a horizontal and vertical analysis of the federal budget (at least in key areas) to get an idea of where the funds are shifting to....

But, saying that ADAP funding is not in the budget this year is simply not true. And, if called on it, a person would have to back-peddle. I, for one, don't want to have to back-peddle and have a legislator or his/her aide discard everything I say because I presented information that is easily proven to be inaccurate. Better to ask the legislator/aide why there was a decrease; if the budget model was built with an assumption of the decrease in ADAP funding based on a shift of a percentage of the current ADAP enrollees to ACA care.

At least that is my take on it.

Phil (who would be shouting from the top a building and contacting my legislators and media and anyone else listening - or even not listening - if I thought for a minute that the above was not the case and that ADAP was going to be either unfunded or that people were going to be kicked off of ADAP without having access to other treatment - a/k/a ACA) ---- If you have any doubts about what I stated above - contact your legislators and ask above questions and review the stock trends and SEC reports of the primary HIV-med pharmaceutical companies)
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 10:01:32 pm by phildinftlaudy »
September 13, 2008 - diagnosed +
Labs:
Date    CD4    %   VL     Date  CD4  %   VL
10/08  636    35  510   9/09 473  38 2900  12/4/09 Atripla
12/09  540    30    60   
12/10  740    41  <48   
8/11    667    36  <20  
03/12  1,041  42  <20
05/12  1,241  47  <20
08/12   780    37  <20
11/12   549    35  <20
02/12  1,102  42  <20
11/12   549    35  <20

 


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