CDC: HIV Incidence Numbers Higher Than Previously Estimated

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly revising HIV infections in the U.S. to 56,000 annually, a 40 percent increase over the longstanding estimate of 40,000 annual HIV transmissions – a number that has held steady since 1994.

Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act Introduced

Earlier this week, Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) introduced the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act. If the bill is passed, it would remove all legal barriers to States and local jurisdictions to spend federal funding that they receive for prevention of diseases directly on syringe exchange.

President Signs New PEPFAR Bill

President Bush today signed into law the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which provides funding for HIV treatment and prevention.

Court Fails To Stop Medi-Cal Cuts

A state court failed to stop the 10 percent cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates which took effect on July 1st.

In May of this year, a coalition of health care providers filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the 10 percent Medi-Cal provider rate cuts that legislators passed earlier this year. According to the California Pharmacists Association, while the court found that the cuts would harm healthcare access for nearly 7 million Californians, it denied the preliminary injunction motion that the state court lacked the authority to enforce the federal law in state court.

For more information, please read the press release here.

New Advocacy Tools Against Medi-Cal Pharmacy Cuts

Courtesy of the L.A. County Commission on HIV : An updated Medi-Cal reduction petition and patient letter are now available. Please download and help stop the cut to Medi-Cal medications that went into effect July 1st.

Both the letter and the petition form are available for download here.