Tag Archives: HIV

Gearing up for Open Enrollment: Accessing HIV/AIDS Care & Treatment through the ACA Marketplaces

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By Amy Killelea, Senior Manager, Health Care Access, NASTAD

Cross-posted from AIDS Education & Training Centers National Resource Center

By Amy Killelea, Senior Manager, Health Care Access, NASTADOctober 1, 2013 – the date when the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) marketplaces open for enrollment – is less than four months away, and there is much still be done to ensure a smooth transition to coverage through these marketplaces.  The marketplaces, which will allow people to compare and purchase “Qualified Health Plans” (QHPs), provide a tremendous opportunity for people living with HIV to access comprehensive, affordable private insurance – many for the first time. Maximizing access to private insurance will be particularly important in states that do not expand Medicaid in 2014. However, engaging with and navigating the private insurance options will involve new issues and concerns and a new insurance vocabulary. Continue reading →

What It Means To Be an AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Coordinator

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By Chis Hanson, AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Coordinator, Michigan Department of Community Health

Background

Chris Hanson, ADAP Coordinator, Michigan Department of Community Health

Chris Hanson, ADAP Coordinator, Michigan Department of Community Health

In collaboration with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and as a component of our HRSA Cooperative Agreement, NASTAD is releasing a set of videos related to AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) efficiency and program management. These videos are a companion to the ADAP Technical Assistance (TA) brief series released in winter 2012. Throughout the course of the past year, NASTAD compiled lessons learned from ADAP coordinators on a variety of topics including the use of data, implementation of cost-containment measures, challenges and successes in managing an ADAP, and advice for working within the program. The videos being released today address challenges and successes in management and ADAP and include advice from seasoned ADAP coordinators for working within the program.  Continue reading →

The Future of Health Department HIV and Hepatitis Programs

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By Dawn Fukuda, Director, Office of HIV/AIDS, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and NASTAD Chair (Incoming)

Dawn Fakuda

Dawn Fukuda, Director, Office of HIV/AIDS, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and NASTAD Chair

For perhaps the first time in history, the end of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis is within our reach. Recent notable achievements provide promise for success, among them the release of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (VHAP) and the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Collectively, these achievements have catalyzed the beginning of a radical transformation in our healthcare systems for communities impacted by HIV and hepatitis. In particular, the ACA represents an opportunity for the country to expand access to HIV/AIDS and hepatitis prevention, medical care, and health promotion services in profound and impactful ways. The systems-level changes advanced in the legislation also require state health departments to reassess their role in the context of an evolving health care system and the other sources of financing that may become available to support what have historically been public health functions—this is particularly the case for HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis prevention and care services. Continue reading →

The Year in Review: A Reflection on the Challenges Health Department HIV and Hepatitis Programs Faced over the Last Year

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By Randy Mayer, Chief, Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis, Iowa Department of Public Health and NASTAD Chair (Outgoing)

Randy Mayer, Chief, Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis, Iowa Department of Public Health

Randy Mayer, Chief, Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis, Iowa Department of Public Health

As I began my tenure as NASTAD’s Chair in May 2012, state health department HIV and viral hepatitis programs were trying to understand and react to the impact of the funding redistributions brought about by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’ (CDC) HIV prevention funding opportunity announcement 12-1201. At the same time, we were just learning about the possibility of fiscal sequestration, set to begin in early 2013. NASTAD’s analysis pointed to the potential for an overall 8.2 percent cut to HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis programs that would severely impact ADAP enrollment and critical prevention, surveillance and viral hepatitis programming. The cuts would be especially devastating at a time when ending HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis is within our reach. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Viral Hepatitis Action Plan provide roadmaps for reducing new infections and increasing access to care, but these cuts mean we may never be able to realize these goals. Continue reading →

What the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act Means to Public Health

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By Oscar Mairena, Manager, Policy & Legislative Affairs and Viral Hepatitis

Oscar Mairena, Manager, Viral Hepatitis/Policy and Legislative Affairs, NASTAD

Oscar Mairena, Manager, Viral Hepatitis/Policy and Legislative Affairs, NASTAD

This month, Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced bipartisan legislation, HR1843, the Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage or Allow Legal (REPEAL) HIV Discrimination Act. The REPEAL Act calls for laws and policies that demonstrate a public-health oriented, evidence-based, medically-accurate and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, risks of transmission based on means of exposure, current health implications of living with HIV and the benefits of treatment and comprehensive support services. Continue reading →