“We urge Congress to pass the bill that hopefully will end the instability, particularly for HIV prevention, and allow state and local health departments, community-based organizations, and the federal staff to do their work,” Carl Schmid of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute said. “With such promising tools as long-acting treatment and prevention there is so much more to be done to get them to the people who need them. Flat funding will certainly not address the growing demands, but it is far better than receiving no funding.”
CVS Health agrees to cover new HIV prevention drug
“We are pleased that CVS Health has finally decided to cover this groundbreaking new PrEP mediation,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+ Hepatitis Policy Institute. “Four months ago, 63 HIV organizations joined us in sending a letter to CVS’s president urging them to reconsider their refusal to cover Yeztugo and reminding them of their legal obligation to cover PrEP and describe the important benefits the drug would bring to preventing HIV in the U.S.,” Schmid said in a statement.
Florida proposes cutting eligibility for an AIDS drug program, causing panic
“This is medical malpractice,” said Carl Schmid, who heads the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, an advocacy group. He noted that state AIDS drug assistance programs are primarily funded by earmarked federal government grants through part of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which is why there is skepticism about the projected shortfall.
State says thousands will lose access to HIV drugs
As leaders at the federal level fight over Affordable Care Act tax credits, the impact is starting to trickle down to Florida. The state’s Department of Health estimates 10,000 people will lose access to affordable HIV drugs. FOX 13’s Danielle Zulkosky reports.
Thousands in Florida could lose access to affordable HIV medication due to cuts
Carl Schmid, the executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, called the state’s abrupt changes to the drug coverage program cruel and life-threatening. “This is a long-established program that’s been around for decades and that people are relying on to live,” Schmid said.