HIV Advocates Optimistic on Brown

Advocates are hopeful that Jerry Brown, who becomes California's governor on Jan. 3, gives high priority to HIV/AIDS as the state responds to a projected $25.4 billion deficit over the next 18 months.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Dec. 6 called a special legislative session to deal with the budget. California's 2010-11 budget provides an additional $55 million in general funding for the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program compared to previous years. Schwarzenegger vetoed a legislative $7.6 million augmentation for an ADAP reserve, and he rejected restoring $52 million this year for HIV/AIDS care and prevention that he vetoed in 2009.

With national health care reform and expansion of Medi-Cal, more people with HIV/AIDS will have health care access. About 70 percent of uninsured patients under Ryan White will be eligible for Medi-Cal in 2014, according to Courtney Mulhern-Pearson, San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF)'s director of state and local affairs.

In a letter to Brown, SFAF said it anticipates "a considerable amount of work must happen to integrate [Ryan White] into the larger health system," encouraging Brown to "work closely with the HIV/AIDS community to carry out a smooth transition." Needed efforts include helping Ryan White-funded clinics improve training and infrastructure to bill insurance, Mulhern-Pearson said. ADAP funding is SFAF's top budget priority, she added.

A "substantial portion" of the $52 million HIV/AIDS cut should be restored, said Dana Van Gorder, executive director of Project Inform. "We need to watch [ADAP] carefully during the course of the year and make sure it doesn't need any additional dollars," he said.

Advocates have examined Schwarzenegger's budget announcement and found "it does not take any whacks at ADAP," said Van Gorder, noting that Medi-Cal cuts would have to be scrutinized further.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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