Advocacy Brief – June 30, 2021
The Neurocognitive Effects of Aging with HIV Effects of combination antiretroviral therapy along with HIV-induced inflammation, lifestyle, and physical and mental comorbidities have all played a role in neurocognitive issues that people living with HIV (PLWH) face. Advancements in treatment for HIV have enabled PLWH to live long lives and by 2030, an estimated 70% […]
Advocacy Briefs
Oregon State Legislature to Allow Pharmacists to Prescribe PrEP and PEP drugs Along the lines of expanding access to (and better utilization of) routine care and prevention services, the Oregon State Legislature is poised to pass a bill that allows registered pharmacists to prescribe HIV pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) drugs. State representatives of […]
Advocacy Briefs
Washington State Legislature Moves to Address Medicaid Drug Access and creates STI/PrEP/PEP Workgroup In Washington state (WA), a collective sense of relief was felt when the session’s final gavel came down on April 30th. Before the start of the session in January, legislative leadership—with Democrats in control of both the House and Senate—had outlined clear […]
Advocacy Briefs
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month The most common types of viral hepatitis in the US are Hepatitis A, B, and C. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 2.4 million people in this country live with hepatitis C. In contrast, some 862,000 face hepatitis B. Millions more are unaware of their […]
Advocacy Briefs
Biden Administration Reinstates ACA Protections for Transgender and All LGBTQ People On Monday, May 10th, the Biden administration reinstated Obama-era protections included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) for transgender and all LGBTQ people. This move undoes the Trump administration’s reversal of these protections. Under this restoration, healthcare providers who receive federal […]
Advocacy Briefs
TennCare III Medicaid Program – April 2021 On January 8, 2021, CMS approved a waiver request from Tennessee that transitions nearly all of its TennCare II enrollees, including children, parents, and pregnant women, as well as many seniors and people with disabilities, into the TennCare III Medicaid program. And it’s been met with community opposition […]
Advocacy Briefs
Gilead Sciences Proposes Change to Patient Assistance Program – April 2021 On April 8th, Gilead Sciences (Gilead) proposed a change to its Advancing Access Patient Assistance Program (PAP), which would require all PAP enrollees to receive their HIV medications (treatment and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) through mail or courier delivery. Gilead’s PAP offers financial support for […]
Advocacy Briefs
A Freeze on the Trump-Era Drug “Rebate Rule” Stalls – April 2021 In recent years, the federal government has called for increased review (and transparency) into how pharmaceutical manufacturer rebates are being used and by whom. But as part of the Biden administration’s regulatory freeze on Trump-era rules, the most recent “Drug Rebate Rule” affecting […]
Advocacy Briefs
CMS Administrator Nomination Stalls – April 2021 The confirmation of President Joe Biden’s nomination to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was delayed by top Senate Republican, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), over the recent Texas Medicaid waiver decision. Sen. Cornyn is blocking Chiquita Brooks-LaSure’s nomination provisionally after the Biden administration rescinded Texas’ […]
Advocacy Briefs
Democrats Reintroduce H.R.3., their Lower Drug Pricing Act – April 2021 In essence, H.R.3 would allow the federal government to negotiate directly with drug companies as a way of lowering certain Medicare drug prices; and would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) broad authority in determining the price of those particular drugs […]