FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  Contact: Jeff Crowley, 202.898.0414, ext. 102

April 12, 2000—Washington, DC: The House Republican Leadership released today a new Medicare prescription drug proposal. The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) is encouraged that, following earlier pronouncements by the President and the Democratic Leadership in the Congress in support of their own prescription drug proposal, that a clear consensus exists to address this urgent problem. We remained concerned, however, that a large gap must be bridged between the competing Republican and Democratic proposals.

For people living with HIV and AIDS, Medicare is the second largest source of health care in the United States. One in five people living with HIV in the United States who are receiving on-going health care are now covered by Medicare.

In recent years, HIV/AIDS has fallen from the leading cause of death of people aged 25-44 years to the eleventh leading cause of death for people in this age group due, in part, to the availability of effective prescription drug therapies. The availability of these medications has alleviated death and suffering for literally thousands of people all across the nation. Despite this fact, many Medicare beneficiaries living with HIV are provided a broad range of benefits, but not the single benefit most critical to keeping them alive.

Too little is known about the adequacy of the Republican proposal announced today. Based on the outlined released, however, we are troubled that this plan may expose individuals to a private health care market whose track record, absent government regulations, on meeting the needs of people living with HIV and other disabilities, is deplorable.

NAPWA believes that any new plan should:

• Build on the success of the existing Medicare program. This includes retaining the social insurance nature of the program. While it may seem politically attractive to start with a benefit for people with low-incomes, this would set a dangerous precedent toward establishing a two-tiered system that is not based on the medical needs of the individual.
• Provide for all medically necessary and appropriate prescription drug needs of beneficiaries, including off label medication uses.
• Ensure against inequities created by regional variation in health care costs and protect against discrimination on the basis of health status.
• Be affordable to people with low incomes and extensive health-related needs.

"Given support across the political spectrum for a Medicare prescription drug benefit, people living with HIV and millions of Medicare beneficiaries are counting on the continued leadership of the President and the Congressional Leadership to come together to establish a benefit that serves the medical needs of all Medicare beneficiaries," said Terje Anderson, Executive Director of NAPWA.