Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
Supports Early Treatment for AIDS Act
RECEIVED Thu., April 8, 2004
Dear Mr. Black,
I commend U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Martin Frost, Sheila Jackson-Lee, and Ciro Rodriguez for co-sponsoring the Early Treatment for HIV Act. ETHA was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in February with bipartisan support.
This bill would give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage to predisabled people living with HIV. It is very important to people living with HIV as studies show that ETHA could reduce the AIDS death rate in the United States by 60%!
ETHA would address a cruel irony in the current Medicaid system. Currently most individuals with HIV must become disabled by AIDS before they can receive access to Medicaid's care and treatment programs that could have prevented them from becoming so ill in the first place. ETHA is modeled after the highly successful Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Act of 2000, which has been adopted by 49 states.
Studies have found that providing early intervention care significantly delays the progression of HIV disease, increases life expectancy, and is highly cost-effective. I encourage the remainder of our delegation to join as co-sponsors.
I commend U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Martin Frost, Sheila Jackson-Lee, and Ciro Rodriguez for co-sponsoring the Early Treatment for HIV Act. ETHA was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in February with bipartisan support.
This bill would give states the option of providing Medicaid coverage to predisabled people living with HIV. It is very important to people living with HIV as studies show that ETHA could reduce the AIDS death rate in the United States by 60%!
ETHA would address a cruel irony in the current Medicaid system. Currently most individuals with HIV must become disabled by AIDS before they can receive access to Medicaid's care and treatment programs that could have prevented them from becoming so ill in the first place. ETHA is modeled after the highly successful Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Act of 2000, which has been adopted by 49 states.
Studies have found that providing early intervention care significantly delays the progression of HIV disease, increases life expectancy, and is highly cost-effective. I encourage the remainder of our delegation to join as co-sponsors.
Sincerely,
Lona Dellessandro
Lona Dellessandro
