State HIV Program In Disarray After Operator Shift, Advocacy Groups Say
Following a switch to out-of-state operators to run the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, patients say their reimbursement claims have been repeatedly rejected, while caseworkers say enrolling patients is taking three or four times longer than it used to.
San Francisco Chronicle:
HIV Patients Call Drug Program Fractured After Shift In Operators
A state program that helps people pay for expensive, lifesaving HIV drugs is in disarray after the Oakland company that managed it for nearly 20 years was replaced by three out-of-state operators, say patients and AIDS advocacy groups. So far, the transition between contractors, which occurred last summer, has mostly proved stressful and time-consuming for patients and their caseworkers. But advocacy groups worry that patients could be delayed in obtaining HIV medications they rely on to stay healthy, which would be problematic not only for them but for programs designed to control spread of the virus. (Allday, 1/23)