Which State has the best HIV medical assistance programs?

[byathread]

I'm currently a MA resident..a starving artist so I solely depend on my state's health assistance program in order to get my HIV treatment including medication. 

My partner and I want to move to Georgia but it seems as though the southern states have ridiculous limitations on who may actually receive HIV treatment.  I've read that in S.Carolina there's actually a waiting list to be eligible to receive HIV meds and that some may wait until the brink of death to receive medication.  Is this accurate?  Is our country really THAT barbaric?

What are the top 5 states that offer HIV medical assistance? 

[RapidRod]

http://www.atdn.org/access/states/index.html

With the link above, you can check and see which states have a waiting list and how long the list is.

[momoftwo]

From the experience I have had in Minnesota, I am quite pleased. Because I am pregnant I am on the state MA at the momment but may lose that after the baby because of the income that my fiance makes. I have spoken to my social worker at the Minnestota Aids Project, the social worker at my id clinic and the people at my local ASO. All seem confident that I will have med coverage for years to come. I even get my Zofran covered by the Ryan White grant in our state.
We also have a program called Open Arms that delivers healthy meals for five days and our ASO offers accupuncture, massages and chiropractor therapies.
Forgot to add they also give a monthly allowance of 50 for nutritional supplement and they cover other medical and dental services.

[BT65]

Wow momoftwo!  It sounds like Minnesota has a great program!  Our ASO doesn't do anything like offering massage therapy, acupuncture or chiropractic services.  (I live in Indiana, where supposedly there's more than corn! ).  I try to get them to do something, anything, for us clients, but when they do, it seems like there's just no interest.  I'm not sure how long people have to wait here for state assistance to get their meds, but I do believe they don't have to wait very long.   

[RapidRod]

Here in Ohio, I didn't have to wait at all. I was on the medical assistance before I left the hospital. There are a lot of programs here for those with low coverage insurance, no insurance and for people that have high co-payments that puts a burden on them. There is assistance for people on Medicare Part D to help with the loop hole and the premiums. I really can't complain about Ohio. As with everywhere else, if there is a high increase of infection in the state, I'm sure they will start changing their process.

[belief]

momoftwo...that is good news!  i just found out my hiv status on the 26th...i am devastated but it gives me hope that there is help available.  i am also in Minnesota...money is certainly going to be an issue for me going forward as i'm going through a divorce on top of everything else...my income will drop from 110k to below 30k.  any advice for assistance or where to start would be so helpful.  at this time i don't know my CD4 or my viral load...so i'm not on meds, but i'm scared for that day to come and wonder what i'll do.

[Bucko]

Without getting into any long sob story about how the south treats its citizens with HIV/AIDS, I just would like to recommend that Byathread stays in Massachusetts until he is certain that his insurance is entirely portable.

Please please please trust me when I say that you don't want to be on the teat of any public health programs to the west or south of Longmeadow. It is an abstract lesson in humility.

Brent
(Who lives in Florida)

[momoftwo]

Belief I sent you a pm of all the services that I know about.
I agree with Bucko to stay where you are until you know what transfers. My parents want me to move to South Dakota however their program does not cover protease inhibitors etc and that makes me hesitant to even think about it.

[Oceanbeach]

From the time I spent (2 years) working as a volunteer and trying ti get the RWCA reauthorized, I would say California, New York and New Jersey.  But there are some upcoming changes in HIV service funding so I would say all bets are off.

Instead of looking at states, I recommend looking at communities.  As an example, I lived in Los Angeles when diagnosed with HIV and then AIDS.  We had Title I funding and everything was the best.  I moved to Northern California because of an offer for free housing.  It was Title II and the services sucked (the ID docs couldn't treat PN), HOPWA assistance was lower and harder to get.  In a Title II district, federal HUD mones are distributed to the state first.  If that sate budget is not approved each year and signed by the Governor (on time), those assistasnce dollars are witheld until the budget is approved.  In a Title I EMA, the HUD dollars go directly to the agency which issues the funds.  The programs and the dollar amount is radically different between Title I and Title II.

Then I moved to Sonoma County (a Title I EMA).  Services as in L.A. were restored, I had the best ID doc in the state.  Sonoma County loses it's Title I funding in three years.  Once again all bets are off and I have to move again...  Los Angeles is an expensive move but I have 2 years and 11 months to save up for it.  Have the best day
Michael

[Miss Philicia]

Let's not go by states, but by cities... NYC has as far as I know the best services.

[edfu]

As a resident of NYC, I would tend to agree with philly, although several of the benefits here are actually through New York State.  ADAP has no waiting list here, to begin with, and it covers almost everything conceivable.  In addition, there are two other vitally important programs if you have too much income or too many assets (such as savings or 401K funds):  AHIP and APIC. 

The greatest New York State benefit is actually from the New York State Dept. of Insurance:  You cannot be refused health insurance, and you do not have to worry about a pre-existing clause, as long as you have continuous coverage without a break of 63 days.  So, for example, if you're on COBRA after losing your job for any reason, and the COBRA expires, you can acquire a new health-insurance policy without any questions asked about pre-existing conditions as long as you do it within 63 days of the termination of your previous health-insurance policy. 

AHIP (AIDS Health Insurance Program):  If your monthly income is less than (currently) $1,511 and you are not eligible for Medicaid, AHIP pays your monthly health-insurance premiums.  AHIP does not count assets (which ADAP does), so you do not have to spend down your savings or 401K first.   

APIC (ADAP Plus Insurance Continuation Program):  If your income is too high for the AHIP program, APIC pays your monthly health-insurance premiums if you meet the eligibility criteria for ADAP.  An individual can have annual gross income of up to $44,000 and assets of no more than $25,000. 

Thus, with both AHIP and APIC, you can keep your health insurance and continue to see your same doctor(s).   

[Oceanbeach]

I was a speaker in a public open house on the RWCA a couple of years ago.  There was a couple in the audience who shared their experiences.  They are a married couple one with AIDS, the other was HIV+.  They had moved to Sonoma County from Atlanta because of lack of services for people living with HIV.  One of our Commission on AIDS members, I believe it was Dr. Netherda had commented that it was very strange that the city whuich houses to offices of The Centers for Disease Control would have little support for HIV.

Would someone who is living in Atlanta or has recently lived in Atlanta, please comment?  Have the best day
Michael

[byathread]

I can't tell you guys how disappointed in this country I am.  I guess I am just spoiled being a MA resident but a waiting list in the richest country in the world for life saving drugs?  Waiting lists kill people like us!  That's insane!  No offense to any of you who are patriotic but no longer are we the best nation on Earth.  We suck!

I guess my only option would be to either work at Walmart or keep my residential status at my parents house and fly home every 6 months to get treatment.  Thanks for all the help though I appreciate all the time and effort everyone put into their responses.