Vol.10 No. 4
January 26, 2004
Take Action: AIDS Action Day - Are YOU Registered?
The 2004 legislative session is just around the corner and fights on issues affecting HIV are inevitable. With a budget battle expected as well as attacks from social conservatives on effective prevention and sexual health education, we are going to need to be organized and vocal to come out ahead in the next few months.
That is why we need you at AIDS Action Day on February 18. Don't waste any time - register today! Once we get your registration, we will let your lawmakers know to expect you and schedule your meetings. Before your meeting, you will get backround information on the issues and coaching on talking to your legislators. But we need to know you're coming. Click here and register today.
[Please note, the date for AIDS Action Day has been changed from February 12 to February 18.]
Stage Set for Comprehensive Sex Ed Debate
There has been a lot of talk in the
media about the report on Education Now and Babies Later (ENABL), Minnesota's
abstinence-only program for teens. The report says what advocates for
comprehensive sex ed have been saying all along - the "just say no"
approach to sex ed is not effective in reducing rates of sexual activity
among young people. Commentaries and letter to the editor have shown up
in newspapers from Duluth to St. Cloud to the Twin Cities. Despite the
findings in the report, we can will still expect to see efforts to require
an abstinence-only until marriage requirement in sexual health education
and attacks to the K-12 HIV curriculum mandate. The debate is further
muddied by last year's removal of health education from the graduation
standards. Keep visiting News and Views
on the public policy page of mnaidsproject.org to stay up to date on where
this issue is going at the State Capitol.
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Minor's Consent in Serious Jeopardy This Year
USince 1973, young people in Minnesota have been able to consent to confidential health care around sexual health, substance use and mental health. Lawmakers have warned us that there will be efforts to repeal or seriously scale back on minor's consent and that we are in danger of losing this vital protection for young people's health and family support. Studies show that most minors would not seek health care around pregnancy and STD protection if their confidentiality were not protected, yet nearly all would continue to be sexually active. Visit the public policy page of mnaidsproject.org to learn more about this issue and stay tuned to find out what you can do to ensure this gateway to health care for young people and meaningful support for families remains in place.
Minnesota's Global Epidemic to be Focus of HIV Prevention Efforts at the Capitol
A top item on our Action Agenda this year will be a request for one-time prevention funding targeting the needs of Minnesota's African-born communities. Twenty-one percent of new infections in Minnesota last year were African-born immigrants, with 55 percent of those being in women. Due to cultural barriers, many challenges exist in serving the prevention needs of this community. We understand that this will be a particularly difficult battle this year, given the budget issues and the political climate, but it is important for Minnesotans to become aware of and start addressing the global HIV epidemic as it exists in our own backyard. For more on what you can do to help, keep checking the public policy page of mnaidsproject.org for more informaiton.
Controlling Cost of Health Care
Plans to control the cost of health care will be passed about this year. HIV advocates will need to keep an eye out for what is likely to really help improve access to health care and what is really just sound bite politics. Last week, we told you about a plan floated by House health policy leaders. This week, leaders in the Senate are going around the state to show off their plan. It includes a proposal to cut nursing costs by increasing the nursing pool through education and training, some state bonding to help hospitals switch to more cost effective, computerized sharing of records, expanded coverage of mental health care costs, and allowing small employers to offer group insurance through Minnesota Care. Importantly, it also lifts the $5,000 cap on outpatient and prescription drug coverage imposed on Minnesota Care as part of last year's "no new taxes" budget cuts, and would allow those who don't have prescription drug insurance to purchase their meds through the state at a discounted rate.
Last week, the US Senate approved a $35 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This was part of action on the omnibus federal budget that lawmakers had deferred from last fall. ADAP, which pays for prescription drugs and provides health insurance reimbursement for people living with HIV, is experiencing financial crisis in many states resulting in enrollment caps and long waiting lists. AIDS advocates noted that the $35 million increase was far from what was needed to relieve the national crisis. MAP notes the problem will continue to get worse as states continue to cut public health care programs as was the case last year in Minnesota, and as private health insurance costs continue to skyrocket. For more information on ADAP, visit the National Organization for People With AIDS' Web site. Also, $2.4 billion was approved for the African AIDS initiative. This was less than was originally promised in last year's State of the Union address. There are also strings attached to the dollars that give preference to organizations that do abstinence-only education, limit working cooperatively with groups such as the Global AIDS Fund, and restrict the ability to make access to more affordable, generic HIV drug treatments. The investment from the U.S. is long overdue, but the actual dollar amount and plan for using the funds fall short of what is needed.
MAP Signs On as Co-Sponsor of the March For Women's Lives
MAP is joining sexual health advocates from across Minnesota and around the country in co-sponsoring the March for Women's Lives on April 25 in Washington D.C. The march was originally called the March for Choice and is being organized by advocates for reproductive rights. However, the issue is much bigger than that. Also under the umbrella of "choice" is a person's right to receive complete and accurate sexual health information free of ideology as well as a person's right to make their own decisions about reproduction. For example, many HIV positive women and their partners are considering the option of having children. There also continues to be pressure for HIV testing of pregnant women without voluntary, informed consent. Plus there is the question of access to comprehensive sexual health education that works versus abstinence-until-marriage restrictions. These are all very important issues to the HIV community and are concerns shared by the March for Women's Lives organizers. For more information visit the March for Women's Lives Web site.
Along with a new legislative session will be a new look for MAP Public Policy. Startng today we are unveiling a new Public Policy page at mnaidsproject.org. The new page will be designed to help you figure which issues need your attention - and action - and to point you where you need to go to be a more effective advocate. At the request of many advocates, we will be keeping the Bill Tracker, but adding new features to keep you up to date on what is happening in St. Paul and Washington. Make sure you check it out at www.mnaidsproject.org/publicpolicy- and let us know what you think.
MAP Advocate is published by the Minnesota AIDS Project every two weeks while the Minnesota Legislature is in session, and monthly during the rest of the year. It is available through the MAP web site mnaidsproject.org and through email list service. If you wish to order the MAP Advocate, visit our Join the Action Network page, or contact MAP Public Policy by phone or email.
MAP Public Policy
Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-341-2060
800-373-2437
public.policy@mnaidsproject.org
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