California: Legislative Changes Concern People With AIDS, Advocates

California HIV/AIDS patients and advocates are concerned about impending changes in health care resulting from legislation at the state and federal levels. In 2014, most people will be required to have insurance coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act. And advocates say AB 97, signed into law this year by Gov. Jerry Brown would, if given federal approval, mandate co-payments for prescription drugs and physician visits for patients of Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program.

In August, San Francisco-based Project Inform and other groups wrote the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging the agency "to decline the state's request to impose any mandatory cost-sharing provisions or caps on essential services" for HIV/AIDS patients and others. The law would "impose untenable cost-sharing on the sickest and poorest Californians," the letter said.