Trends in AIDS drug assistance programs

The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors on Thursday released the latest ADAP Watch on AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, which are federal- and state-funded programs that provide HIV/AIDS-related medications to low-income, uninsured and underinsured HIV-positive individuals. A synopsis of the report appears below.

• ADAP Watch: The report finds that as of Sept. 20, 320 individuals were on ADAP waiting lists in six states. Two of the six states -- Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Montana, South Carolina and West Virginia -- have had waiting lists for the past two years, according to the report. Three states -- Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina -- have instituted other cost-containment measures since the beginning of fiscal year 2006, the report says. It also finds that six states and territories -- Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island -- anticipate the need for additional or new cost-containment measures during the current ADAP fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2007, the report finds. The outlook for ADAPs is uncertain and will depend on the changes made in the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, the report says. According to the report, the House and the Senate versions of the FY 2007 appropriations legislation do not allocate sufficient funds to sustain ADAPs in the long term, costs of which typically increase at a rate of $100 million annually. In addition, ADAP funding requirements exceed FY 2006 funding levels by $197 million. Without reliable financial support, waiting lists and other cost-containment measures "threaten to become a permanent feature of this critical program," the report concludes (ADAP Watch, 10/5). "A long-term investment in the financial stability of ADAPs is essential to ensure that these critical programs avoid waiting lists," NASTAD Executive Director Julie Scofield said (NASTAD release, 10/5).