(Washington, D.C.) – The Republican Main Street Partnership urges the House of Representatives to pass the Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA). “In the coming weeks ETHA, life-saving legislation that gives states the option of extending Medicaid coverage to low-income individuals living with HIV, will be re-introduced in the House. Main Street strongly urges that the House move quickly to pass this critical piece of health care reform legislation,” said current President and CEO of the Partnership and former U.S. Representative Charles F. Bass (R-NH). “We thank Main Street members Christopher Shays (R-CT), Mary Bono (R-CA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Jim Walsh (R-NY), all of whom have agreed to serve as original cosponsors for ETHA, for their early and outspoken support of this important bill.”
ETHA addresses a cruel irony in the current Medicaid system—that under current Medicaid rules, people must become disabled by AIDS before they can receive access to Medicaid-provided care that could have prevented them from becoming so ill in the first place. ETHA brings Medicaid eligibility rules in line with federal government guidelines on the standard of care for treating HIV. ETHA also helps address growing waiting lists for access to life-saving medications and limited access to comprehensive health care in many parts of the country.
“By supporting this legislation, we are reaffirming our commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS by supporting states in their efforts to combat this deadly epidemic,” said Representative Christopher Shays. “This common-sense legislation will not only save our health care system millions of dollars by keeping HIV positive individuals healthy, it will also save thousands of lives.”
"Americans who have been stricken with HIV must have improved access to life-saving services and treatments," said Representative Mary Bono. "States must be empowered to exercise options that can successfully address the HIV/AIDS crisis in their jurisdictions - developing AIDS in order to become eligible for Medicaid is a flawed system."
ETHA is modeled after the successful Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 (BCCA), which has allowed 49 states to provide early access to Medicaid to women with cancer. As with the BCCA, ETHA includes an enhanced federal match rate of 65%-83% to encourage states to participate.
“Real health care reform will require that we move from a treatment-based system to a prevention-based system. Legislation like ETHA is an important step in that transformation,” concluded Bass.
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The Republican Main Street Partnership (RMSP) is dedicated to promoting and building a pragmatic, thoughtful, fiscally conservative, and inclusive “Governing Majority,” where political debate is encouraged to promote solutions to improve the lives of all Americans. Embracing the full spectrum of center-right ideologies and values in order to build coalitions, RMSP is the largest organization of elected leaders who are in the mold of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. For more information on RMSP, visit our website at www.republicanmainstreet.org.
