For Immediate Release
January 30, 2007
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Media Contact:
Noel Alicea
212.367.1216
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Gay Men's Health Crisis Response to Governor's
Health Care Reform Agenda
New York, NY—Governor Spitzer's January 26th address sent a clear message that patient-centered policy should drive reform in New York State's health care system. For people with HIV and AIDS, this is a welcome change. Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) supports elements of the governor's agenda, calls for some measures to go further, and are concerned about others.
GMHC enthusiastically supports Governor Spitzer's goal of affordable, universal health coverage for all New Yorkers. The time is long past due for the New York to undertake serious planning towards this end. Likewise, we agree with the Governor's call for transparency and accountability of HMOs and other insurance companies.
GMHC is encouraged by the Governor's plan to do away with onerous documentation requirements for continued Medicaid eligibility, which will keep many of the most vulnerable New Yorkers insured and healthy. Supplying the requisite documentation has acted as a deterrent, keeping eligible individuals and families from getting the coverage they need. In addition, we urge the Governor to ease documentation requirements for new enrollees as well.
While we support efforts to recover and prevent fraudulent Medicaid payments, these savings must be reinvested in the Medicaid program, not released into the general fund.
GMHC is gratified to hear the Governor is willing to examine bulk purchasing as a means of lowering drug costs for New Yorkers. We ask that he pursue this aggressively.
GMHC will continue to oppose any restrictions on access to prescription drugs that result from changes to the State's Preferred Drug List (PDL). Drugs considered to be interchangeable for most healthy individuals will detrimentally affect the health of a person with HIV if paired incorrectly with antiretrovirals (ARVs). Further, we are hopeful that the Governor will safeguard "provider prevails" provisions in the PDL. HIV positive individuals have multiple chronic conditions and complex medication regimens that must be carefully balanced and maintained, especially as patient needs change over time. Protocols around HIV drug interactions are frequently adjusted as new information becomes available, as do patient needs. Proper management of medication demands deference to medical expertise, intimate knowledge of a patient needs, and the ability to access the right drug regardless of cost.
Finally, GMHC calls on Governor Spitzer to stand by New York's promise to provide an ongoing Medicaid "wrap around" for Part D dual eligible beneficiaries. For some time before the rollout of Medicare Part D, advocates and consumers were assured that Medicaid would step in and pay for drugs which dually eligible beneficiaries could not access through their Part D plans. It is critical that the wrap continue and that it cover more than simply ARVs and the other protected drug classes. ARVs must be carefully and correctly combined with non-HIV medications to avoid negative drug interactions and/or diminished drug potency.
GMHC looks forward to reviewing the details of Governor Spitzer's agenda for reform. We share the Governor's goals of reducing the number of uninsured and delivering accessible, comprehensive, quality health care to all New Yorkers.
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported
and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the
fight against AIDS. Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease,
help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence,
and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and
local priority. In fulfilling this mission, we will remain true to our
heritage by fighting homophobia and affirming the individual dignity of
all gay men and lesbians. We provide services and programs to over
15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by
HIV/AIDS in New York City. For more information, please visit www.gmhc.org.
© 2007 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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