Policy News
August 2010 - CalHEP Presents to Medical Board of California on the Importance of Viral Hepatitis Continuing Education August 2010 - Viral Hepatitis Bills Near Passage by the Legislature SB 1029 and AB 1858 passed their final legislative votes and have landed on the Governor's desk for signature. Updates on both bills are presented below. Letters of support for all three bills can be sent to: Senate Bill 1029(SB 1029) SB 1029 by Leland Yee, would allow adults to purchase and possess up to 30 syringes from an authorized source, including licensed pharmacies, physicians and syringe exchange programs, passed the State Senate. SB 1029 passed the Senate Health Committee on April 6th (6 in favor, 3 against) and the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on April 22nd (5 in favor, 1 against). It passed the full Senate on May 28th (21 in favor, 6 against). SB 1029 passed the Assembly Health Committee on June 23rd (12 in favor, 6 against) and the Business Professions and Consumer Protection Committee on June 30 (6 in favor, 2 against). It also passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 5th (12 in favor, 5 against) and passed in the Assembly on August 26th. The bill received the concurrence vote on August 31st (21 yes, 16 no). Read the SB 1029 Fact Sheet or the bill analysis Assembly Bill 1858 (AB 1858) authored by Assembly member Bob Blumenfield (D-Van Nuys) would allow California Department of Public Health to authorize syringe exchange services in locations where the conditions exist for the rapid spread of viral hepatitis, HIV or other potentially deadly or disabling diseases. On April 6th, AB 1858 passed Assembly Health Committee (11 in favor, 5 against, 3 abstaining). AB 1858 passed the Appropriations Committee on May 5th. (12 in favor, 5 against). AB 1858 passed the Assembly on May 13th by 44-29 and the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 12th (7 in favor, 4 against). It passed the Senate on August 24th (21 yes, 15 no) and passed the Assembly concurrence vote on August 26th.
Read the AB 1858 Fact Sheet Assembly Bill 2600 (AB 2600) introduced by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), would have amended medical continuing education requirements. Existing law requires the Medical Board of California to establish continuing education requirements for physicians and surgeons, and requires the board to consider including various courses in determining its continuing education requirements. This bill would require the board to consider including a course in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis. As of August 20, the bill has been amended and no longer addresses viral hepatitis and provider education. Assemblymember Fiona Ma stated, she will continue to support viral hepatitis in the policy arena, but having met the goal of meeting with the California Medical Board and presenting the need for physician education on viral hepatitis that the bill is not essential to advocacy efforts. CalHEP wishes to thank you for your letters of support to your legislators. CalHEP was proud to work with President Pro Tem Ma on AB 2600. Fiona Ma, herself chronically infected with HBV, is a leader on public and professional education regarding the importance of screening for hepatitis.
These bills are consistent with the recommendations at the California Department of Public Health, the Institute of Medicine, the World Health Organization, and other national and international public health leaders. CalHEP strongly believes that with passage of AB 1858 and SB 1029 will help reduce the spread of viral hepatitis in the state, and set the stage for best practices and best use of federal disease prevention dollars made available to California. To read more regarding CalHEP's legislative strategy, click here. May 2010 - MediCal May Stop Paying for Methadone Treatment Join Together and the Sacramento Bee reports that California's state Medicaid program would stop paying for methadone maintenance under a plan from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that's aimed at cutting $53 million from MediCal. If the state legislature approves the plan, only pregnant women and minors would be eligible for MediCal reimbursement for methadone treatment. The move also would cost the state $60 million in federal matching funds. An estimated 35,000 patients would lose coverage under Schwarzenegger's plan. One expert said that 70-80 percent of addicts in local methadone programs are MediCal patients. Barry McCaffrey, a former U.S. drug czar, was among the treatment advocates who protested the plan. Testimony before the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee reports that the Governor's proposed cuts in drug offender and drug Medi-Cal programs will immediately raise other state costs seven-fold.
February 2010 - NVHR: Administration's 2011 Budget Proposal Shortchanges Five Million Americans Afflicted with Chronic Viral Hepatitis Washington, DC—Just weeks after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) blasted the federal government for its failure to respond to the nation's viral hepatitis epidemic, the Administration has continued a pattern of neglect with its 2011 budget proposal. In calling for an inadequate funding increase of $1.8 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Viral Hepatitis, the Administration has shortchanged five million Americans afflicted with chronic viral hepatitis and has failed to translate the IOM's recommendations into decisive action, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) said today.NVHR is a coalition of more than 150 public, private, and voluntary organizations dedicated to reducing the incidence of infection, morbidity, and mortality from chronic viral hepatitis that afflicts more than 5 million Americans. www.nvhr.org "While the Administration's proposed $1.8 million increase for the Division of Viral Hepatitis is better than we have seen in years, its budget proposal ultimately shortchanges more than five million Americans afflicted with chronic viral hepatitis," said Ms. Lorren Sandt, Chair of the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) and Executive Director of Caring Ambassadors Program, based in Portland, OR. "Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have mobilized to address the chronic viral hepatitis crisis and we need a commensurate response from the Administration. We are hopeful that the bipartisan Honda-Dent legislation (HR 3974) will provide a rational starting point for how best to fund the needs of five million Americans afflicted with chronic viral hepatitis." The CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Disease, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP) is the umbrella federal agency overseeing the Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH). While still inadequate, the Administration's FY 2011 budget proposal released yesterday is a marked improvement from last year's meager $51,000 increase the Administration proposed for the DVH's viral hepatitis, prevention, treatment, and surveillance programs. Perhaps most tellingly, the Administration's total 2011 budget proposal for DVH of $21 million is still less than the $25 million in annual funding that was allocated ten years ago. Meanwhile, the depth and breadth of this crisis has only worsened. For more details read the Press Release News Wire article. February 2010— Calif. Officials Step Up the Fight Against Hepatitis With a new strategic plan in place, California public health officials hope to break the silence about hepatitis. "It's important to recognize that viral hepatitis is a significant and costly public health problem. Most people who are infected have no symptoms and are completely unaware of their status. We have been silent too long about the problem," said Dr. Gail Bolan, chief of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Branch of the state Department of Public Health....According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplants. In the United States, an estimated 1.2 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis B and 3.2 million are living with chronic hepatitis C. Earlier this month, Bolan's agency released a comprehensive planning document. Among key findings:
For more details read the Stockton Record article by Joe Goldeen, Record Staff Writer. February 2010—NVHR: Administration's 2011 Budget Proposal Shortchanges Five Million Americans Afflicted with Chronic Viral Hepatitis January 2010— Health Report Calls for Hepatitis Awareness Campaign An estimated 3 million to 5 million people have hepatitis B or C, which can cause liver failure and cancer, and many don't have symptoms. Many doctors underestimate the problem, the report says. Hepatitis B and C remain serious threats to public health, but many healthcare providers fail to screen at-risk patients and don't know how to treat those infected with the viral diseases, which can cause liver failure and cancer, according to a report released Monday by the National Academy of Sciences. For more details read the Los Angeles Times article by Rong-Gong Lin II. American Medical News, on line article by SUSAN J. LANDERS, amednews staff. January 2010—They're the overlooked viruses: Hepatitis B and C together infect three to five times more Americans than the AIDS virus does, and most don't know it. In the next 10 years, these two liver-damaging infections will kill about 150,000 people in the U.S. alone, says a new report Monday from the prestigious Institute of Medicine.In the next 10 years, these two liver-damaging infections will kill about 150,000 people in the U.S. alone, says a new report Monday from the prestigious Institute of Medicine.It calls for a major public health push to decrease the stigma of these simmering viruses, which are to blame for nearly half the liver transplants performed every year."We have allowed gaps in screening, prevention and treatment to go unchecked," said report chairman R. Palmer Beasley of the University of Texas, Houston. Some people can fight off hepatitis B or C, but it becomes a chronic, incurable infection in anywhere from 3.5 million to 5.3 million Americans, the report estimates. While anyone can be infected, the viruses disproportionately affect blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders. Among the report's recommendations:
Risk Factors A new Institute of Medicine report stresses the need for physicians to screen patients at risk for viral hepatitis, including: Hepatitis B
Source: "Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C," Institute of Medicine, January December 2009— CalHEP and the public health advocacy community celebrates Congressional repeal of a 21-year ban on the use of federal funds to support syringe exchange programs (SEP) There is no controversy among researchers: over 200 studies concur that SEP are effective in reducing rates of HIV among injection drug users. Sharing of syringes is the leading cause of new infections for hepatitis C in the U.S. and can also transmit hepatitis B & other blood borne diseases. For more details read the U.S. repeals funding ban for needle exchanges, (by Bob Egelko, SF Chronicle Staff Writer) or listen to the audio report, Ban Lifted on Federal Funding for Needle Exchange, (by Susan Sharon, National Public Radio). November 2009—‘Bipartisan Support Grows for Addressing Nation’s Hepatitis Scourge’ H.R. 3974, the Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control Act, was introduced October 29, 2009, in the House of Representatives. Writing in Roll Call on November 6, Lorren Sandt, chair of the National Virus Hepatitis Roundtable and member of CalHEP’s Advisory Committee, said this bill “would help establish, promote and support a comprehensive prevention research and medical management referral program under the Public Health Service Act for chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C virus infection.” It would provide $90 million in funding in 2011, with additional funding in subsequent years. The legislation spearheaded by Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) has garnered bipartisan support. October 2009—CalHEP Catalyzes Syringe Exchange Access Efforts If Senate Bill 1159 is allowed to sunset at the end of 2010, it will again be illegal in California for an adult to purchase or possess syringes without a prescription. “In terms of stemming the tide of hepatitis and HIV, this would be a terrible step backward,” said Glenn Backes, CalHEP’s public policy consultant. “CalHEP is catalyzing a major advocacy effort in 2010 on syringe access.” Backes worked closely with Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara) from 2001 to 2004 to pass SB 1159 giving pharmacists discretion to sell 10 or fewer sterile syringes to an adult without a prescription in cities and counties that authorize the Disease Prevention Demonstration Project. Backes expects an evaluation of the pilot program to be published by the State Office of AIDS in January and that the evaluation will “provide strong evidence that California is like every other state or country that has removed statutory barriers to accessing syringes, in that we saw a reduction in syringe sharing and no negative effects in terms of crime, drug use, or unsafe discard of syringes.” With funding from The Tides Foundation Syringe Access Fund, CalHEP is working to research and draft model legislation to improve access to sterile syringes as a key prevention policy for the control of viral hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and other blood-borne infections. CalHEP is also working with the Drug Policy Alliance and the Harm Reduction Coalition on these efforts, as well as meeting with representatives from major liver health and AIDS service organizations, and associations that represent pharmacists, health officers, physicians, and nurses in California to catalyze efforts to prevent the sunsetting of SB 1159 next year. Read up on SB 1159 at www.syringeaccess.com. CalHEP continues its work to ensure that federal health insurance reforms include provisions to prevent denial of insurance to persons with pre-existing conditions and that all Americans have access to affordable health care. CalHEP is also studying options to fight for increased viral hepatitis testing and treatment dollars in 2010. Stay tuned. May 2009—Assemblyman Blakeslee’s Hepatitis Awareness Day Resolution Passes in the Assembly Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee’s (R-San Luis Obispo) resolution naming May 19, 2009, Hepatitis Awareness Day passed off the Assembly Floor. The resolution notes the importance of hepatitis awareness education campaigns and accessible screening for hepatitis B and C. In addition, the resolution argues that appropriate treatment can reduce the incidence of hepatitis B and C viral infections on individual and community levels, thereby reducing the financial, physical, and emotional damages wrought by this virus. Blakeslee introduced ACR 35 after Edie Kahn and David Kilburn, representatives from the SLO Hep C Project, talked with the assemblyman about viral hepatitis in California. April 2008—Dymally Bill to Call for State Hepatitis Plan CalHEP has worked with the Legislature and communities to develop local and state plans to prevent liver cancer and liver disease, and to prevent and control viral hepatitis. The chair of the Assembly Health Committee, Mervyn Dymally (D-Los Angeles), intends to introduce legislation this spring to require that the California Department of Public Health develop a plan and budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The plan will require culturally appropriate public education campaigns statewide, with attention to Asian Pacific Island, Latino, and African-American communities, which are disproportionately affected by hepatitis and liver disease. February 2008—Ma Vows to Fight for Comprehensive Viral Hepatitis Control Plan Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) has declared her intention to introduce legislation that would require the California Department of Public Health to create a comprehensive plan to control viral hepatitis in the state. Her bill, still being drafted, would likely require the department to submit a budget as part of the governor’s proposed budget for 2009-2010. January 2008—Bill to Provide Medi-Cal Eligibility for Californians With Chronic Hepatitis B Passes Assembly On January 29, 2008, AB 158 by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) passed the full Assembly by a wide margin with bipartisan support. The legislation provides that persons with chronic hepatitis B infection would be eligible for Medi-Cal without having to be declared “disabled.” Implementation would be contingent on federal approval and financial participation. The bill moved to the Senate, but as of February 1, its first hearing in Senate Health Committee had not been scheduled. Read the bill. |
