The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute remains committed to advancing policies that ensure access to affordable medications while fostering the development needed to fight HIV and hepatitis. We urge you to oppose S.875 and recommend exploring alternative approaches that directly address affordability without risking access or undermining medical advancements.
The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, a leading organization advocating for equitable and affordable healthcare for individuals living with or at risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic health conditions, strongly supports the provision in Senate Bill 203 that ensures third-party copay assistance counts toward patients’ deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.
By passing H 3934, South Carolina will join 24 other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in protecting consumers purchasing insurance on the private market. This legislation ensures that copay assistance counts toward cost-sharing obligations, preventing patients from facing insurmountable financial barriers to their medications. For people with HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic conditions, reliable access to medication is critical. Individuals with HIV and hepatitis B require lifelong drug regimens, while those with hepatitis C can be cured in as little as 8 to 12 weeks. Yet high deductibles and cost-sharing requirements often make these treatments unaffordable, even for insured patients. Copay assistance is a lifeline, particularly in today’s challenging economic climate, where inflation and rising costs are straining household budgets.
When patients are forced to forego their medications due to high costs, the consequences are severe—not just for individual health outcomes, but also for public health and healthcare system costs. Policies that limit access to copay assistance exacerbate these challenges, disproportionately affecting those who are already vulnerable. House Bill 6209 represents an essential safeguard against harmful insurer practices, ensuring equitable access to life-saving treatments for Rhode Island residents.
This testimony is in support of funding for the following initiatives, programs and divisions at the Department of Health and Human Services: Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative—$395 million for the CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, $358.6 million for the HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, $207.3 million for the HRSA Community Health Centers, and $52 million for the Indian Health Service; Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program—$3.024 billion; CDC Division of HIV Prevention—$822.7 million; CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis—$150 million; and the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy—$20 million. The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute also supports maintaining and funding CDC’s Eliminating Opioid-Related Infectious Diseases Program and Division of School and Adolescent Health; the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative; AIDS Research 2 at the NIH; the Title X Family Planning Program; the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program; and the SAMHSA HIV Block Grant.