AIDS Issues Update

Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include
Medicaid Parity for U.S. Territories!
Call Senate finance committee members today, and tell them to
support Puerto Rico and U.S. territories

While the U.S. government covers at least 50 percent of the bill for states’
Medicaid funding, it caps the amount of Medicaid dollars it will give to U.S.
territories. This discrepancy severely limits territories’ funding streams, and
Sens. Baucus and Grassley (seen above chatting),
are two of the folks to contact
Housing Works: News: Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include Med... means that in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana
Islands, and American Samoa, only the poorest citizens qualify for Medicaid
and people, including those living with HIV/AIDS and other diseases are
the ones who suffer.

This situation is a particular blow to Puerto Rico, which is dealing with an
HIV/AIDS crisis. Increasing Medicaid for Puerto Rico would be a major
step forward in fighting the AIDS epidemic there. Insufficient Medicaid
funds force many Puerto Ricans living with AIDS to rely on programs
funded by the Ryan White Care Act. Ryan White has been notoriously
mismanaged on the island, a situation that has resulted in a lack of access to
AIDS medications through the Ryan White-funded AIDS Drugs Assistance
Program (ADAP).

In 2008, the U.S. spent approximately $20 per Medicaid participant per
month in Puerto Rico, compared to $330 per participant per month in the
U.S. This alarming disparity is widely acknowledged: As a candidate,
Obama stated his desire to “to continually raise the cap on federal
contributions to Medicaid in Puerto Rico until it disappears.”

What to do
Call Senate finance members (who are largely the ones crafting healthcare
reform legislation) and tell them the U.S. territories must have full Medicaid
parity!

In the House of Representatives H.R. 2680 calls “to amend the Social
Security Act to provide for payment parity for Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa under
the Medicaid Program, and for other purposes.”

But in the Senate, where the territories don’t have even non-voting
representation, there is no companion bill. Urge Senate finance committee
members to include full healthcare parity for the U.S. territories in
healthcare reform legislation, and improve the health of people in the
territories.
Housing Works: News: Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include

Who to call
Max Baucus (D-MT) 202-224-2651
Chuck Grassley(R-IA) (202) 224-3744
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (202) 224-5521
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) (202) 224-5344
Kent Conrad (D-ND) (202) 224-2043
Mike Enzi (R-WY) (202) 224-3424
What to say
“My name is _____ and I’m calling to urge Sen. ______ to make sure
health care reform legislation includes amending the Social Security Act to
provide for payment parity for U.S. territories under the Medicaid Program,
and for other purposes.”