50 Local and National HIV/AIDS Organizations Urge Senator Obama to Become an ETHA Co-Sponsor

June 20, 2007

The Honorable Barack Obama
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Obama:

We, the undersigned organizations from Illinois and across the country, are writing to urge you to join the senior Senator from Illinois, the Honorable Dick Durbin, who along with 20 of your Senate colleagues has become a co-sponsor of S.860, the Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) of 2007. A renewal of your past co-sponsorship of this vital legislation would be a strong affirmation of your public commitments to healthcare expansion and the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

If enacted, ETHA would allow states to expand their Medicaid programs to include low-income individuals living with HIV who have not yet become disabled. By giving these individuals access to existing therapies while they are still healthy, ETHA will improve their quality of life by delaying the onset of AIDS and avoiding the need for costly medical interventions such as hospitalizations.

We commend your publicly stated goals for healthcare reform and expansion. Indeed, we believe ETHA is fully compatible with these policy objectives. Co-sponsorship provides a near-term opportunity to begin advancing the following items from your healthcare expansion agenda:

• Prioritizing the global HIV/AIDS epidemic as one of the greatest threats to worldwide stability and public health.
• Focusing on prevention and clinical management of chronic diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, as the best strategy to contain escalating healthcare costs.
• Expanding eligibility for existing programs, such as Medicaid, to cast a wider public insurance safety net.
• Addressing the glaring health disparities created by a system that unjustly excludes low-income individuals, including substantial numbers of people of color, from access to care.

We believe there is a clear link between your vision for the future of healthcare and this present opportunity. What is more, thousands of low-income people living with HIV across the country cannot afford to wait through another election cycle, no matter the promises for comprehensive healthcare reform.

Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact Jim Pickett at (312) 334-0920 or at JPickett@aidschicago.org. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Advocates for Youth, Washington, DC
Agape Missions, Joliet, IL
AIDS Action, Baltimore, MD
AIDS ACTION, Washington, DC
AIDS Alabama, Birmingham, AL
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families, Washington, DC
AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, IL
AIDS Treatment Data Network, New York, NY
AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland, OH
AIDS Project Los Angeles
Alliance of AIDS Services, Raleigh, NC
American Academy of HIV Medicine, Washington, DC
Better Existence with HIV (BEHIV), Evanston, IL
BIENESTAR, Los Angeles, CA
Black AIDS Institute, Los Angeles, CA
Brothers Uplifting Brothers, Merrillville, IN
Campaign to End AIDS, FL
Chicago Recovery Alliance, Chicago, IL
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), New York, NY
Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa Network, Des Moines, IA
Gay Men's Health Crisis, New York, NY
Health & Disability Advocates, Chicago, IL
Heartland Alliance, Chicago, IL
Heartland Human Care Services, Chicago, IL
Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago, IL
Health Global Access Project, Philadelphia, PA
HIVictorious Inc, Madison, WI
Housing Works, Brooklyn, NY
Indiana Minority Health Coalition, Indianapolis, IN
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA
Legacy Community Health Service, Houston, TX
Nashville CARES, Nashville, TN
National Advocacy and Organizing Housing Works, Washington, DC
National Association of People with AIDS, Silver Springs, MD
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, Washington, DC
National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC
New York State Black Gay Network, NY
Open Door Clinic, Elgin, IL
Project Inform, San Francisco, CA
Recovery 2000, Inc. Chicago, IL
Research and Education Foundation of the Michael Reese, Chicago, IL
South Carolina Campaign to End AIDS, Columbia, SC
South Suburban HIV/AIDS Regional Coalition (SSHARC) Ford Heights, IL
Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN), Chicago, IL
The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC
The Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY
The Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) Washington, DC
TII CANN - Title II Community AIDS National Network, Washington, DC
Treatment Access Expansion Project, Boston, MA

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