Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Transgender Human Rights Coalition
HIV/AIDS INFORMATION
IT IS ESTIMATED
THAT IN THE UNITED STATES 850,000 TO 950,000 AMERICANS ARE LIVING
WITH HIV/AIDS. 10,000 OF THE ESTIMATED ARE CHILDREN. MORE THAN 40,000
NEW INFECTIONS OCCUR IN THE U.S. EVERY YEAR.
GLOBALLY 40
MILLION PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS. WOMEN COMPRISE 17.6 MILLION
OF THESE CASES, 2.7 MILLION OF THESE CASES ARE CHILDREN. THERE ARE
10 NEW HIV INFECTIONS PER MINUTE WORLDWIDE.
Global HIV/AIDS
Timeline
Updated
Fact Sheet
HIV
Testing in the United States
This updated
fact sheet provides information on key testing statistics, testing
recommendations as advised by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), testing sites and policies, including state
specific information, and a summary of the types of tests available.
The Early Treatment
for HIV Act would permit state Medicaid programs to cover
low-income, HIV- positive Americans before they develop
AIDS. The act would amend Title XIX of the Social Security
Act to provide states with the option of covering low-income
HIV infected individuals as "categorically needy."
States taking advantage of this option would be provided
with an enhanced federal Medicaid match. The legislation
is very similar to the successful effort in 2000 that gave
states the option to provide Medicaid coverage to women
diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through a federally
funded program.
Current Medicaid
Coverage Inadequately Addresses HIV/AIDS
Currently, childless
adults living with HIV generally only qualify for Medicaid
coverage once they become eligible for Supplemental Security
Income. Because an individual is not eligible for SSI until
he or she becomes disabled, a person with asymptomatic HIV
infection is not eligible for Medicaid until he or she has
progressed to full-blown AIDS. Since HIV-positive individuals
do not qualify for Medicaid, many lack the ability to receive
medical care and medicine to help slow the progression of
the HIV and to prevent the onset of opportunistic infections.
Early Coverage Will Improve Quality of Life and Slow Infection
Rates
Treating those
who are HIV-positive early in the progression of the disease
provides numerous benefits. Providing therapy earlier keeps
individual viral loads suppressed and delays the immune
system weakening that permits opportunistic infections.
Additionally, new HIV infections will decrease because of
the lower viral loads, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program
will be able to provide care to more individuals with HIV
because of related savings, and most importantly, the quality
of life for countless HIV-positive individuals will be improved.
ETHA could help thousands of HIV-positive individuals gain
early access to treatment to help them live longer, happier
and more productive lives. Simply put, providing coverage
earlier, rather than later, is the right thing to do.
ETHA Could Save Taxpayers Money by Reducing Long-Term Healthcare
Costs
ETHA could realize
federal savings of $31.7 million over a 10-year period.1
Since early treatment for HIV-positive individuals would
both delay their need for more expensive forms of treatment
and delay the time at which they would become medically
disabled, enacting ETHA could produce savings for the SSI,
Social Security Disability Insurance Savings, Medicaid and
Medicare programs. Additionally, ETHA would lessen the strain
on other federal AIDS programs, such as those funded by
the Ryan White CARE Act.
What is the Current Status of the Bill?
Sens. Gordon
Smith, R-Ore., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., reintroduced
ETHA on March 13, 2007. In the 109th Congress, the measure
was introduced by Smith and had 38 co-sponsors.
