Louisiana bill would waive Medicaid prescription limits for people with HIV

A bill currently being considered by the Louisiana legislature would waive state-imposed prescription and testing limits for Medicaid enrollees with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, or terminal kidney disease, The [New Orleans] Times-Picayune reports. The bill would prevent the state Department of Health and Hospitals from placing limits on the number of diagnostic tests or prescription drugs covered under Medicaid for state residents with the diseases. Last month the department limited Medicaid beneficiaries to eight prescriptions per month to meet a cost-cutting order by Gov. Mike Foster Jr. But AIDS activists protested the move, arguing that most HIV-positive patients require several medications to treat HIV infection and the various side effects of their antiretroviral drug cocktails. The Louisiana house is set to vote on the measure by the end of the week.