Debt deal could jeopardize HIV/AIDS funds

via Washington Blade, By Chris Johnson

The resolution of the debt ceiling negotiations between the White House and congressional leaders has HIV/AIDS advocates concerned that federal funds for prevention and drug initiatives could be on the chopping block as a result of the agreement.

The agreement — which enables President Obama to raise the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion and eliminates the need for another increase until 2013 — also requires a total of nearly $2.5 trillion in spending cuts to reduce the federal deficit, which could affect federally funded HIV/AIDS programs.

Carl Schmid, deputy executive director of the AIDS Institute, said any cuts to federal spending as a result of the deal will likely “impact HIV programs in a negative way.”

“There will be less money to go around and it will be more competition over that smaller amount of funding,” Schmid said. “And there can be direct cuts to our programs particularly if they are taken across the board. Not going in the right direction if we are going to end AIDS let alone prevent new infections and provide care and treatment to people with HIV/AIDS.”

All federal funding of discretionary HIV/AIDS programs could see an impact as a result of the decision, Schmid said, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and AIDS research programs. Additionally, Schmid said AIDS Drug Assistance Programs could be cut and already lengthy wait lists to receive medication through this program could be extended.

“It’s going to be harder and harder to make the case for our programs, but, hopefully, Congress will be receptive to our voices and concerns about the importance of preventing HIV in our country and to provide care and treatment for people who are HIV positive,” Schmid said.


Read more. 

The end to 'don't ask, don't tell' follows shifting public attitudes

via The Monitor, By Brad Knickerbocker

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” officially comes to end September 20. And while the controversial ban on gay men and women serving openly in the US military no doubt will continue to be the subject of social and political debate, the change in policy comes as public attitudes have shifted dramatically since DADT came into force 18 years ago.

Many gay elected officials, newscasters, sports figures, and other prominent public figures no longer feel the need to be closeted. Six states now allow same-sex marriages. And public attitudes toward LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Americans have moved toward greater tolerance – particularly among younger generations.

Between 1996 and 2011, according to Gallup, the percentage of those polled who think marriages between same-sex couples “should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages” has doubled to 53 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage that thinks such marriages should not be valid has dropped from 68 percent to 45 percent


Read more. 

Changing the Landscape of HIV Prevention: What a Difference a Year Makes

via CDC, By Kevin Fenton

On July 13, 2010, President Obama released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The Strategy outlines bold new steps for responding to the domestic HIV epidemic at a critical time in the U.S. HIV incidence has been stable, but health inequalities are worsening, and many Americans no longer feel that HIV is a serious health threat.

The NHAS addressed the long-expressed need to refocus national attention on the domestic HIV epidemic. It established a bold vision, clear goals, and concrete steps for implementation.

The NHAS was indeed the game changer we had hoped for.Yet a strategy would be only words on paper if it is not accompanied by broad-based support, a willingness to re-examine current approaches and robust measures for  accountability. The good news is that all of these elements are in place.

So at the one year anniversary of this landmark policy, let us reflect on how the NHAS is radically changing the landscape for HIV prevention as the epidemic, and our tools for addressing it, continue to evolve.

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Debt Ceiling Negotiations Could Halt Progress Against HIV/AIDS

via Huffpost Chicago, By David Ernesto Munar

As part of its debt ceiling negotiations, the Obama administration is on the verge of undermining one of the most significant policies it has put in place to alleviate the nation's 30-year HIV/AIDS crisis, which directly affects more than 1.2 million Americans.

In a sad twist of irony, the White House proposal to rollback critical health benefits, essential to the control of HIV/AIDS, is emerging on the one-year anniversary of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, unveiled by President Obama in July 2010.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the White House is considering deep federal funding cuts for state Medicaid programs, a proposal which could have an immediate, chilling effect on efforts to meet the benchmark goals described in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Moreover, it would render the federal health reform law virtually meaningless for millions of low-income Americans.

Medicaid expansion for all low-income Americans, regardless of their health status, is the centerpiece of the health reform law championed by President Obama in 2010. Without full funding from the federal government to help states finance Medicaid expansion, low-income individuals -- including hundreds of thousands with and at risk for HIV -- will struggle to gain access to adequate healthcare services from bankrupt Medicaid programs, which will be unable to make up the shortfall in reduced federal funding.

The White House contends that its proposal for a "blended rate" of Medicaid financing for states is far superior to GOP plans to give states a fixed block grant to cover all their low-income healthcare needs, no matter how extensive. While indisputably better than the draconian GOP proposal, a blended rate would likely shortchange states of billions in Medicaid financing that they otherwise would receive under a fully implemented health reform law beginning in 2014.

Faced with reduced federal funding, most cash-strapped states will have no choice but to ration healthcare services and further erode already dangerously low provider reimbursement rates

Read more.  

New Medicaid policy is more important than it may seem

 via Hunter of Justice by Nat Hunter

The Obama administration issued guidance last Friday delineating how same-sex couples can be financially protected if one becomes Medicaid eligible in the process of securing long-term care for a serious disability (often age-related).

As the letter explains, married heterosexual couples have a variety of legal mechanisms that allow the non-disabled spouse to retain some basic assets such as their home. Because of DoMA, same-sex marriages cannot be recognized. Thus no same-sex couples have had access to the same options for preventing spousal impoverishment.

The new guidance letter on Medicaid rules for same-sex couples suggests a variety of ways that the same kinds of considerations can apply to same-sex couples, whether married or not.  This may sound like a mush of bureaucratic legalese, but it is much more than that. Aside from the smart lawyering involved in producing this analysis (kudos to the HHS legal staff), this development is important in both the short and the long term.

In the short term, along with every other baby booomer in the U.S., more and more same-sex couples are entering the final third of life.  Medicaid, originally set up as a health insurance system for the poor, including the "medically indigent," now pays more than half the total costs of long-term care in the U.S. Given the expense of nursing homes even for middle-class Americans, Medicaid has been necessary for millions of elders to receive decent care.  For senior same-sex couples, the new Administration position is a huge and immediate change.

But there is another, potential long-term effect of the new guidance as well. It's less obvious but, with a little investment of energy, one that could help end routinely anti-gay policies in social services agencies.  Here's why -


Read more.

Obama on Gay Marriage: "Attitudes Evolve, Including Mine"

via CBS Politics, by Brian Montopoli

But I also think you're right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. 
- Obama

Read it all.


Related, read:
"Obama appoints record number of gay officials" in the Washington Post.

Less than halfway through his first term, President Barack Obama has appointed more openly gay officials than any other president in history.

Gay activists say the estimate of more than 150 appointments so far - from agency heads and commission members to policy officials and senior staffers - surpasses the previous high of about 140 reached during two full terms under President Bill Clinton.

Transgender Individuals Do Not Require Surgery to Get a Passport ‎

Via Washington Post:

The State Department has revised its policy on changing passports for transgender people, announcing Wednesday night that a doctor's note will now suffice in such cases.

Previously, the State Department had required that a person undergo sexual reassignment surgery before it would change the passport. The policy had outraged transgender advocates, who called for an updated approach.

Under the new policy, which takes effect Thursday, a doctor must attest that the person is undergoing clinical treatment for gender transition, State said. Limited-validity passports will also be available to applicants in the process of gender transition, the department added.

State noted that its policy is "based on standards and recommendations of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), recognized by the American Medical Association as the authority in this field."

The department also stressed that passport-issuing officials "will only ask appropriate questions to obtain information necessary to determine citizenship and identity."

The new policy is based on recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), widely recognized as a leading authority on transgender issues.

Read the rest...

Monday Morning Perk-Up [Big Bird and Health Care Reform]

Who's That Queer [Amanda Simpson]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Amanda Simpson is a rocket scientist who has run for a state representative seat in Arizona. She is the first openly-transgendered person to earn a presidential appointment.

Born Mitchell Simpson, Amanda transitioned into a woman in 2000. Since her transition, she has fought for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. In 2005, she convinced her employer of 26 years, Raytheon, to become the first major aerospace and defense contractor to add gender identity to its discrimination policy.

Simpson now works at the Bureau of Industry and Security, an agency within the Commerce Department. She helps monitor exports of defense technology in order to assure dangerous weapons do not fall into the hands of U.S. enemies.

Read her full biography here.

Monday Morning Perk-Up [Onion Obama Hit on]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Rep. Seeks Retroactive Immunity For Anyone Who Hit On First Lady Last Night