Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) recently introduced legislation that would take steps to improve treatment of HIV/AIDS and create a more equitable state funding structure.
Ellmers drafted the bipartisan Ryan White Patient Equity and Choice Act of 2014 with Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas).
The measure would require the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to submit reports to Congress on state HIV/AIDS funding. It would also implement a plan to ensure that per-patient state funding does not vary more than five percent from state to state.
“This bill would require HHS to study their formula and address the problems facing countless HIV patients across the country,” Ellmers said. “As a nurse, I have seen firsthand the pain and anxiety that an HIV-positive diagnosis can cause. This is a terrible situation that is currently affecting over 36,500 North Carolinians living with the disease. I look forward to seeing this bill move quickly through the House of Representatives.”
Under the measure, individuals who receive care would have a designated “medical home,” which includes a primary care team and medical case management that would include care retention and treatment adherence services to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“This legislation helps to level the funding to ensure that states suffering from the most HIV prevalence receive the resources necessary to combat this debilitating virus,” Johnson said. “We must provide the crucial, necessary tools to treat current HIV-positive patients and to increase their quality of life nationwide.”
A patient-centered pilot program would also be initiated under the measure that allows patients to use health savings accounts to pay for qualified expenses.