Nation’s Leading HIV, STD and Hepatitis Organizations Gravely Concerned by Trump Administration’s Refusal to Defend ACA

Nation’s Leading HIV, STD and Hepatitis Organizations Gravely
Concerned by Trump Administration’s Refusal to Defend ACA

 Urge DOJ to reconsider and protect those living with pre-existing conditions

Washington, DC — Five of the nation’s leading HIV, STD, and viral hepatitis organizations expressed grave concern today at the Trump Administration’s decision not to defend critical components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in legal challenges brought by the state of Texas. By failing to defend the law’s central pre-existing conditions protections, AIDS United, NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors, NMAC, and The AIDS Institute fear that this Administration has abandoned millions of Americans with chronic or pre-existing conditions, including HIV, hepatitis, and other STDs, who rely on the ACA for access to critical, affordable health care coverage.

In a suit filed in federal court this February, Texas claimed that when Congress eliminated the penalty associated with the individual mandate, it made the mandate itself unconstitutional. In its brief filed with the court on June 7, the Justice Department (DOJ) wrote that it agreed with the view that the individual mandate is indeed unconstitutional and that if it is eliminated, two provisions of the law that offer protections for people with pre-existing conditions — specifically, the guaranteed issue and community ratings provisions — must also go.

The potential effects of the Trump Administration’s decision cannot be overstated. In addition to removing protections from health insurer discrimination and denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, including HIV, the actions advocated by the DOJ would wreak havoc on insurance markets.

The administration recently released an updated report on the progress made in achieving the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which they claim is evidence of their ongoing commitment to protecting and improving the health and wellbeing of all Americans. Unfortunately, the Administration’s decision not to defend the ACA undermines that claim, as does every effort to dismantle access to healthcare that this Administration has made. We will never realize the vision outlined in the Strategy or end this epidemic without the reforms that significantly expanded health care coverage to people living with or at risk for HIV.

We urge the Administration to reconsider its decision and to vigorously defend the ACA in this and all further court challenges.

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AIDS United (AU), NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), NMAC, and The AIDS Institute (TAI) are national non-partisan, non-profit organizations focused on ending HIV in the U.S. They have been working in partnership to identify and share resources to sustain successes and progress we have made in HIV, STD, and hepatitis prevention, care and treatment in the United States.

DESPITE PROGRESS IN NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY PROGRESS REPORT, MUCH WORK STILL TO BE DONE

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Lewis, 202.853.1846, clewis@nmac.org

DESPITE PROGRESS IN NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY PROGRESS REPORT, MUCH WORK STILL TO BE DONE

 

June 11, 2018 – The 2017 Progress Report on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (link) shows that progress is being made in some areas, but much work still needs to be done in other areas to not only reach the strategy’s goals for 2020 but to prevent any loss of progress made.

While NMAC applauds the fact that progress targets were met to reduce HIV diagnosis disparities among Black women and increase viral suppression among youth and transgender women, it is disappointing to see that the strategy failed to reach its targets for reducing HIV diagnosis disparities among young, black gay and bisexual men and among people in the southern United States.

“The latest NHAS progress report shows that we still have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us,” said Paul Kawata, NMAC’s Executive Director. “The fact that we failed to reach our targets in the southern United States, currently the epicenter of the HIV epidemic, is particularly discouraging. And the fact that we continue to lose ground in HIV diagnosis for young, Black gay and bisexual men is crushing. Young, Black gay and bisexual men now have a 50 percent chance of becoming HIV-positive during their lives. Meeting our goals with these communities will help us achieve our goal of ending the epidemic and end needless suffering.”

 

NMAC leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced our mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous electronic and print materials, and a website: www.nmac.org. NMAC also serves as an association of AIDS service organizations, providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the HIV epidemic.

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NMAC OPPOSES DOMESTIC GAG RULE; WILL DEPRIVE  LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES OF HIV TESTING AND CARE


For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Lewis, 202.853.1846, clewis@nmac.org

NMAC OPPOSES DOMESTIC GAG RULE;
WILL DEPRIVE LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES OF HIV TESTING AND CARE

June 12, 2018 – NMAC opposes the Trump Administration’s proposed “gag rule” to remove Title X family planning funds from providers that offer abortion services or referrals. Such providers are a vital, life-saving point of entry to care for people living with HIV and to prevention services for those at higher risk for HIV, particularly people of color and those in lower-income communities.

“As a women living with HIV for over 27 years and working on issues across women’s health, I feel strongly that this proposed rule is a threat to HIV testing, care, and prevention in lower-income communities, especially communities of color where such services are desperately needed,” said Linda Scruggs, Director of NMAC’s Leadership Pipeline. “Centers like Planned Parenthood are often a point of entry for people seeking HIV and STD testing and treatment. They provide vital HIV prevention services, like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for people at risk for HIV, and linkage to care so that people living with HIV can live longer and reduce the chance of transmitting the virus to others.”

“The loss of funding for these centers will cause many of them to close, depriving already-underserved communities of options for the quality health care they have every right to,” said Scruggs. “We cannot stand by and allow communities that already have very few options for quality health care risk losing what little they already have. Through this rule, this Administration is putting the lives and wellbeing of countless Americans at risk.”

NMAC leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced our mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous electronic and print materials, and a website: www.nmac.org. NMAC also serves as an association of AIDS service organizations, providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the HIV epidemic.

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECISION TO END PROTECTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS HURTS EFFORTS TO END HIV EPIDEMIC

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Lewis, 202.853.1846, clewis@nmac.org

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECISION TO END PROTECTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS HURTS EFFORTS TO END HIV EPIDEMIC

June 8, 2018 – The Trump Administration announcement that they will no longer defend the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting conditions endangers health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions like HIV, cancer, asthma, or diabetes, all of which have a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

The fight to end the HIV epidemic is dependent on providing health care coverage to all Americans – particularly people of color – living with pre-existing conditions like HIV. If this decision stands, people living with HIV could be denied coverage or have to pay much higher insurance premiums. That will deter people from getting tested or seeking and staying in care, two vital components to ending the epidemic.

“Access to testing and health care is critical to ending the HIV epidemic,” said Paul Kawata, NMAC’s Executive Director. “If people living with HIV can’t get insurance because they have a pre-existing condition, they will not be able to afford the care they need and deserve. This is especially true for people of color who statistically bear the greatest burden of the HIV epidemic. Without care, they will no longer be virally suppressed, risking their own health and putting their partners at greater risk of HIV transmission. This decision endangers all of the progress we’ve made in the fight against HIV in recent years and we hope that it will be reversed.”

NMAC leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced our mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous electronic and print materials, and a website: www.nmac.org. NMAC also serves as an association of AIDS service organizations, providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the HIV epidemic.

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Happy LGBTQ Pride Month!

Happy LGBTQ Pride Month!

June is LGBTQ Pride Month. While NMAC is not an exclusively LGBTQ organization, we were founded by LGBTQ activists in some of the darkest days of the HIV epidemic.

We remain committed to the ideals of Pride: equality, equity, inclusion, and respect. And we will continue to work for those ideals for the LGBTQ community, communities of color, and all those living with or affected by HIV.

 

HIV & Transgender Community Spotlight Webinar is June 20

Join NMAC for our next Community Spotlight webinar on June 20, when we will look at HIV among Transgender Americans. Our presenters will be Luis Gutierrez-Mock, TRIUMPH Project Director at the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health and Marissa Miller, Program Coordinator at NMAC. Register now.

 

Join Our HIV Navigation Evaluation Webinar June 13

NMAC‘s Capacity Building Division will present A Novel Demonstration of HIV Navigation Evaluation webinar Wednesday, June 13, from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT.

This webinar will introduce participants to basic monitoring and evaluation elements of HIV Navigation Services (HNS) by way of the CDC’s Prevention with Positives (PwP) in Action Novel (a CDC video). Register now.

For more information please contact linc@nmac.org.

 

The Latest HIV News from DC

Congress is entering the third and final step of the Appropriations process for 2019. In the coming months, they will make final decisions on all federal funding, including for HIV/AIDS care, prevention, and services. That means it’s time to call, e-mail, or visit your Members of Congress and tell them to keep federal funding intact. Read the latest update from our Policy Team.

 

 

Just One Day Left for USCA Early Bird Rates!

USCA’s Early Bird rates for conference registration and booth reservation end TOMORROW! Don’t wait to reserve your place at USCA. Register and reserve your booth space now.

Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Week Ending: June 01, 2018
By: Matthew Rose & Sable K. Nelson

Federal Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations Season is Upon Us
In the coming weeks, the Appropriations Committees of both of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate will mark up the Federal Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations bills. Markup is the process by which a Congress debates, amends, and rewrites proposed legislation. An appropriations bill is a piece of legislation that sets money aside for specific government spending. This is the third step in the Federal Budget Process:

 


Defense Department Sued over Policies Denying Service Opportunities to People Living with HIV (PLWH)
Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN filed two cases in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against the Defense Department. The cases are entitled Harrison v. Mattis and Voe v. Mattis. The Harrison case was filed on behalf of Sgt. Nick Harrison, a veteran of two overseas combat zones who was denied a position in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps because current Pentagon policy considers service members living with HIV non-deployable, and will not allow them to enlist or to be appointed as officers. The Voe case, was filed on behalf of a sergeant in the D.C. Army National Guard who was denied the opportunity to serve as an officer and faces possible discharge from the United States armed services because he is living with HIV. The lawsuit challenges the Pentagon’s current policies preventing enlistment, deployment, or commissioning as an officer for a person living with HIV, and likely would affect implementation of the new “Deploy or Get Out” policy unveiled by the Trump administration in February. For more information, READ the legal briefs → 

https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/harrison_va_20180530_complaint

https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/voe_dc_201805030-complaint

 

What NMAC is Doing About It

  • NMAC remains vigilant in its advocacy to protect FY19 government funding and the existence of the social safety net.
  • NMAC releaseda Biomedical HIV Prevention “Blueprint” entitled Expanding Access to Biomedical HIV Prevention: Tailoring Approaches for Effectively Serving Communities of Color, a new report that establishes strategies to effectively use techniques such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Treatment as Prevention (TasP) to end the HIV epidemic in communities of color. The full report can be found by visiting nmac.org/blueprint.
  • NMAC will be on Capitol Hill this week speaking to legislators about the importance of sustained funding for HIV programs
  • NMAC has been working in coalition around equal treatment for people of color living with HIV and vulnerable HIV to serve in the military

 

What You Can Do

TAKE ACTION: It is very important that our elected officials hear from us to protect federal HIV funding for HIV prevention and care. Speak truth to power by sharing your personal stories with your elected officials. It is vitally important to meet your federal elected officials when they are at home. If we don’t support and advocate for HIV funding and programs, who will?  Our movement cannot afford to stand on the sidelines.  Your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives need to hear from you. 

Also, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE in time for the primary and general elections happening this year:

Colorado 6/18/2018

For more information, VISIT→ https://www.eac.gov/voters/register-and-vote-in-your-state/

Finally, PARTICIPATE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION(S) in your state:

South Carolina  6/12/2018

Nevada 6/12/2018

Virginia 6/12/2018

Maine  6/12/2018

North Dakota    6/12/2018

District of Columbia      6/19/2018

Utah     6/26/2018

New York         6/26/2018

Oklahoma         6/26/2018

Maryland         6/26/2018

Colorado          6/26/2018

For more information, VISIT→ http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2018-state-primary-election-dates.aspx

One Week Left for USCA Early Bird Registration!

Just One Week Left for USCA Early Bird Rates!

USCA’s Early Bird rates for conference registration and booth reservation end on June 8!  Don’t wait to reserve your place at USCA. Register and reserve your booth space now.

 

HIV & Transgender Community Spotlight Webinar is June 20

Join NMAC for our next Community Spotlight webinar on June 20, when we will look at HIV among Transgender Americans. Our presenter will be Luis Gutierrez-Mock, TRIUMPH Project Director at the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. Register now.
.

Join Our HIV Navigation Evaluation Webinar June 13

NMAC‘s Capacity Building Division will present A Novel Demonstration of HIV Navigation Evaluation webinar Wednesday, June 13, from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT.

This webinar will introduce participants to basic monitoring and evaluation elements of HIV Navigation Services (HNS) by way of the CDC’s Prevention with Positives (PwP) in Action Novel (a CDC video). Register now.
For more information please contact linc@nmac.org.

June 5 is HIV Long-Term Survivors Day

June 5 is HIV Long-Term Survivors Day, a time to celebrate and honor long-term survivors of the epidemic and raise awareness of their needs, issues, and journeys.

This year, we will feature long-term survivors from our 50+ Strong & Healthy program talking about their lives and what they would tell young people living with HIV. Watch our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) on Monday, June 5.

 

The Latest HIV News from DC

It’s been a busy week for NMAC’s Policy team with the introduction of the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2018 and the proposed Domestic Gag Rule. We’ll need your help to make the difference on these important issues. Read the latest update from them.

Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Week Ending: May 25, 2018
By: Matthew Rose & Sable K. Nelson

Health Equity and Accountability Act Introduced in the House

Rep. Barbara Lee – on behalf of the Congressional Tri-Caucus made up the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – introduced The Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2018 (HEAA), H.R. 5942. The introduction of HEAA in the Senate will be forthcoming from Sen. Mazi K. Hirono. In addition to Senator Hirono and Rep. Lee, dozens of members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus have co-sponsored the bill.

HEAA builds upon the strengths of the ACA and provides the additional tools necessary to address and eliminate health and health care disparities experienced by minority and underserved communities. The bill will eliminate existing access barriers to affordable health insurance coverage, promote investments in innovative health delivery methods and technologies, and advance research and data collection about the health needs and outcomes of diverse communities. The bill also ensures that a full range of culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and public health services are available and accessible in every community, creates a pipeline and new training opportunities for minority-serving professional and allied health care workers, and incorporates strategies to address a range of disease-specific mental and behavioral health issues facing minority communities. These are all important steps toward eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities, and creating a sustainable health care system that can pave the road to health equity. For more information,
READ this op-ed co-authored by  Reps. Lee and Chu in The Hill → http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/388977-health-equity-bill-offers-blueprint-for-nation-at-time-of; https://www.apiahf.org/resource/heaa_section_overview/

 


Trump Administration Proposes ‘Domestic Gag’ Rule
On May 22, 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a proposed change to a regulation that would affect the Title X program. Federally-funded Title X family planning clinics play a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of family planning and preventive health services. The proposed regulation change would restrict family planning funding from certain health-care providers, such as Planned Parenthood, and block providers that participate in the Title X program from referring their patients for abortions. It is being referred to as the domestic gag rule, as it would likely prevent federal funding from going to any health clinic that even mentions abortion as an option for women. Comments on the proposed rule would be due 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. However, HHS has not yet announced when it publish the proposed regulation. For more information,
READ → https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-new-domestic-gag-rule-planned-parenthood_us_5afef8cce4b0a046186b2e39

 

Understanding the Trump Administration’s Plan to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Sarah Jane Tribble from the Kaiser Health Network explained the key elements of the 44-page document entitled “American Patients First; The Trump Administration Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs” https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/AmericanPatientsFirst.pdf ) on CBS News’ “Red & Blue.” For more information,
WATCH → https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trumps-feud-with-prescription-drug-costs-began-during-his-campaign-and-continues-today/; https://khn.org/news/watch-whats-in-the-white-house-plan-to-lower-drug-prices/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=63242968&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–hb5VddnTmF2_hUdnmdQqomGW787zhjNampBkczXpbYfijgtABc17Pbkinzk9pZiljhI1d58KusoSIOv7TJ4l2sBqBSA&_hsmi=63242968

 

What NMAC is Doing About It

  • NMAC remains vigilant in its advocacy to protect FY19 government funding and the existence of the social safety net.
  • NMAC releaseda Biomedical HIV Prevention “Blueprint” entitled Expanding Access to Biomedical HIV Prevention: Tailoring Approaches for Effectively Serving Communities of Color, a new report that establishes strategies to effectively use techniques such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Treatment as Prevention (TasP) to end the HIV epidemic in communities of color. The full report can be found by visiting nmac.org/blueprint.
  • NMAC will work with partners to determine its response to the pending domestic gag rule

 

What You Can Do About It.

TAKE ACTION: Speak truth to power by sharing your personal stories with your elected officials. It is vitally important to meet to your federal elected officials when they are at home. If we don’t support and advocate for HIV funding and programs, who will?  Our movement cannot afford to stand on the sidelines.  Your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives need to hear from you. 

Also, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE  in time for the primary and general elections happening this year:

New York 6/1/2018
Oklahoma 6/1/2018
Maryland 6/5/2018
Colorado 6/18/2018

 For more information, VISIT→ https://www.eac.gov/voters/register-and-vote-in-your-state/

Finally, PARTICIPATE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION(S) in your state:

Mississippi 06/05/2018
Montana 06/05/2018
New Mexico 06/05/2018
New Jersey 06/05/2018
Alabama 06/05/2018
South Dakota 06/05/2018
California 06/05/2018
Iowa 06/05/2018
South Carolina 06/12/2018
Nevada 06/12/2018
Virginia 06/12/2018
Maine 06/12/2018
North Dakota 06/12/2018
District of Columbia 06/19/2018
Utah 06/19/2018
New York 06/26/2018
Oklahoma 06/26/2018
Maryland 06/26/2018
Colorado

06/26/2018

For more information, VISIT→ http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2018-state-primary-election-dates.aspx

Learn About America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD)




HIV Navigation Webinar June 13th

USCA Early Bird Rates End June 

USCA’s Early Bird rates for conference registration and booth reservation end on June 8!  Don’t wait to reserve your place at USCA. Register and reserve your booth space now.


Join Our HIV Navigation Evaluation Webinar June 13
NMAC‘s Capacity Building Division is excited to offer A Novel Demonstration of HIV Navigation Evaluation 

webinar Wednesday, June 13, from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT.

This webinar will introduce participants to basic monitoring and evaluation elements of HIV Navigation Services (HNS) by way of the CDC’s Prevention with Positives (PwP) in Action Novel ( a CDC video). NMAC will play content from this graphic novel to raise awareness and educate those either currently grappling with monitoring and evaluating one or more facets of HNS or contemplating an HNS program launch.
Register now. For more information please contact linc@nmac.org.


Welcome New NMAC Staff! 

NMAC is pleased to welcome two new members to our family.

Diane Ferguson joins us as Development Associate. She worked at AARP as a Library Assistant/Research Information Specialist for 16 years. She also worked at AARP as the Executive Secretary for The Center to Champion Nursing in America for two years and as a Project Specialist in the Public Policy Institute for six years. After 24 years she left AARP and became a partner in Ferguson Property Care/Ferguson Auto Detailing. Missing the corporate environment, Diane returned to work as an Administrative Assistant at the National Quality Forum.

Our new Conference Coordinator Aryah Lester, nationally awarded author, speaker, and educator, is a transgender woman of color originally from New York. She founded the organization Trans-Miami during her time as an expert consult member of the Miami Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and 12-Cities Project, and continued the work of her organization, the  National Alliance of Transgender Advocates and Leaders (NATAL). Ms. Lester has been recognized with many awards, featured in numerous national articles, and was inducted into the most recent national Trans100 list.

Welcome, Diane and Aryah!

 

The Latest HIV News from DC
As the summer approaches, things are heating up in Washington on policy and budget items related to HIV care, prevention, and services. And our policy team is in the thick of it. Read the latest update from them.