Fifteen states now have ADAP restrictions

A total of 15 states now have waiting lists or access restrictions to their AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, with nearly 800 low-income HIV-positive people nationwide now waiting to gain access to free or low-cost anti-HIV medications, according to a report by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming have ADAP waiting lists and/or access restrictions, including tightened financial eligibility requirements, reduced drug formularies, or increased copays for medications. Alabama, Alaska, and New Hampshire are likely to impose new or additional restrictions before the end of the fiscal year, which ends March 31, according to the NASTAD report. And another round of new or additional restrictions is expected in fiscal 2004 in Alabama, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed capping enrollment in that state's ADAP, which could force up to 1,400 more people onto a waiting list for lifesaving anti-HIV medications. It is unclear, however, if California lawmakers will support Schwarzenegger's plan.