AIDS Action Supports Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2007 -- AIDS Action today registered its full support for the Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA), which will be introduced in The House of Representatives today by the bill's lead sponsors, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Eliot Engel (D-NY), with more than 50 bipartisan co-sponsors.

In addition to sending a bipartisan letter of thanks and support to the bill’s lead sponsors, Rebecca Haag, Executive Director of AIDS Action said, “This law will prolong and dramatically improve the quality of people’s lives by increasing access to care and treatment when it is most helpful. In most states, Medicaid now only covers HIV drugs and treatment after a person receives an AIDS diagnosis, when it is much too late in their disease progression; not when treatment and drug therapy can most improve people’s health outcomes. Current Medicaid eligibility rules are out of date with federal guidelines on the standard of care for treating HIV. ETHA will maximize health outcomes and reduce the financial burden on Federal and State healthcare programs.”

ETHA will help eliminate barriers to early drug therapy and comprehensive care for people living with HIV by giving states the option to allow HIV positive people with low incomes to qualify for Medicaid coverage earlier in the course of their infection. As HIV reaches later stages, complications of the disease make treatment more expensive and the costs for antiretroviral (ARV) therapy increases substantially. Early access to medication and quality health services is a necessity for people living with HIV. Unfortunately, ARV therapy is often prohibitively expensive, costing more than $12,000 annually, making it virtually impossible for low-income people, who are often uninsured or underinsured, to access these lifesaving medications.

A 2003 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers showed that if ETHA were passed, over a ten-year period it would lead to net savings overall in State and Federal programs. In addition, those living with HIV who access treatment through Medicaid as a result of ETHA would experience slower progression of their disease. Most importantly, initiation of the program would decrease the number of deaths from people living with HIV on Medicaid from 12% to 6%.

“In 2007, it is sad and shocking that most low-income and uninsured Americans living with HIV do not qualify for state Medicaid programs until they have received an AIDS diagnosis that may come too late for ARV treatment to be optimally effective,” said Ms. Haag. “Without this needed care people may become so sick that they are unable to stay in their jobs and are robbed of their mobility and dignity – it is a shame that we have not had the political will to enact this simple, cost-effective legislation in the previous ten years. Passing ETHA would not only increase the number of people who have access to care, but it would save lives at a 50% greater rate than under current law. We applaud all of the Members of Congress who are coming together to reintroduce this legislation. We will marshal our members and resources to help ensure passage of this lifesaving bill. We will not rest until it passes,” she continued.