LFCDC CALLS FOR OPEN ACCESS TO HIV/AIDS MEDICATIONS IN PA

On Friday, March 23rd, the Chairman/CEO of Liberation Fellowship CDC sent the following letter to Rep. Ron Waters, Chair, and each member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC) on behalf of Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation:

I am writing you because of the urgency of the matter that will be before DPW’s Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee (P & T) on Wednesday, May 23^rd. P & T will be meeting to take testimony related to HIV/AIDS and other medications and will be deciding which of these drugs will be put on its approved list. It is absolutely essential that the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus make its voice heard on behalf of poor and working class people in order that HIV/AIDS patients continue to have open access to medications without restrictions of any kind.

The issue of open access to medications for HIV/AIDS patients is an urgent matter that can determine whether there will be quality in their continuum of care or not. Open access to HIV medications allows physicians to prescribe—on a patient-by-patient basis—the most appropriate and efficacious treatment option for each patient. Restrictions and limitations on the choice of medications that physicians may prescribe—including but not limited to more restrictive eligibility requirements, prior authorization and high copayment amounts—become barriers that thwart the goal of the National AIDS Strategy that seeks to improve health outcomes while reducing stigma, discrimination, and health disparities.

Not only is open access to medication essential for effective management of HIV/AIDS, but also a Kaiser Family Foundation policy brief issued in March, 2003, found that restrictions on access to medications were shown to result in nonadherence to treatment, higher rates of drug discontinuance, reductions in appropriate care, and an increase in hospitalization and worsening clinical outcomes.

PA’s legislative discussions on continuing healthcare budget cuts must take into account the increased social costs of limiting open access to HIV/AIDS medications. Allowing open access to medications is the most cost-effective way to treat HIV/AIDS because it has the most potential to minimize other medical costs, reduce patient-to-patient transmission, and provide the lowest overall cost to our public health system.

I urge you to lend your voice and that of PLBC to insist that open access to HIV/AIDS medications not be limited in Pennsylvania.

LFCDC enlists your help in contacting the PLBC and letting your voices be heard on this important issue that directly affects those with and for whom we work. We must speak with one voice on the message that any limitation or further barrier to open access to HIV/AIDS medications is unacceptable. So, we’re asking that you consider 1) writing the PLBC and urging them to speak out at the P & T meeting scheduled for May 23rd; and/or 2) giving testimony (there's a 2-minute limit) at the meeting. The deadline for registering to give testimony is May 9th. Info on the May 23rd P & T meeting and embedded link for testimony registration follows:

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania DPW P&T Committee is tentatively scheduled for:

May 23, 2012 at 10:00am
Child Welfare Training Center
403 East Winding Hill Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

The final agenda will be posted prior to the meeting. More information on the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee is available at this page.

P&T Meeting Public Testimony Request Form

The Public Testimony Registration Form must be submitted to request a time slot for public testimony at the P&T meetings. Please review the Testimony Procedures