AIDS activists blast Medicaid cuts

A compromise federal spending package for 2006 approved by Congress this week will hurt low-income HIV-positive people across the country, AIDS activists say. The spending bill cuts $39.7 billion from a host of federal programs, including Medicaid, which is specifically expected to reap $4.8 billion in federal savings due to increased fees for program participants.

Under the Republican-backed spending bill, passed 212–206 by the House on Monday and approved Wednesday in the Senate when Vice President Dick Cheney broke a 50–50 tie, state-run Medicaid programs will be able to charge higher premiums for access to some program services and boost co-pays for prescription drugs, doctor visits, and hospital stays. In the past, Medicaid participants who could not immediately afford program premiums and co-pays were allowed to continue to receive medical care, but the new law allows states to deny services to those who do not pay premiums within 60 days or who do not have the ability to immediately pay co-pays for prescription medications and health care access.

The compromise spending measure also eliminated a Senate-backed proposal that extended Medicaid coverage to HIV-positive people who have not yet progressed to an AIDS diagnosis. Backers of the measure say it would have helped tens of thousands of poor HIV-positive Americans stay healthy and avoid deteriorating to AIDS, but the amendment was eliminated by House and Senate lawmakers seeking a compromise on the spending package.

AIDS groups blasted lawmakers for cutting medical services to low-income Americans, particularly HIV-positive people who receive care through government health programs.

"On HIV and AIDS, Congress handed over authority to extremists with the potential to harm thousands of Americans," Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said Wednesday in a press statement. "It is unacceptable to pull the rug out from under hundreds of thousands of our neighbors living with HIV/AIDS and simply say 'Your government is not there for you.' We should be focusing on ways to improve these programs, not shoving them onto the cutting-room floor."

David Gartner, policy director with the Global AIDS Alliance, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that a similar 2003 law in Oregon that raised Medicaid premiums and co-pays for services resulted in nearly half of the Medicaid participants dropping out of the program. He expects the same sort of impact on a national level under the new federal Medicaid changes. “The cuts to the Medicaid program would be devastating to all people on Medicaid,” he said prior to the Senate’s Wednesday vote.

The spending bill, which President Bush has pledged to sign, also makes steep cuts to other essential federal programs, including Medicare and student loan programs.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who joined all of the Senate Democrats in voting against the measure, told the Associated Press the bill “caters to lobbyists and an elite group of ultraconservative ideologues here in Washington, all at the expense of middle-class Americans.” (Advocate.com)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.

Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.

Hungry Like the Wolf
A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.

The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.

The Pride of Antwerp
Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.

Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.

Top Political Blogs
From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.

The Diva of French Television
A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.