Stigma against HIV-positive Iowans and access to insurance are issues that are exacerbated by current Iowa law, but one new bill and an amendment I am sponsoring provide much needed change.

A bill I sponsored cleared a Senate subcommittee last week, but did not make it out of standing committee in time for the end of funnel week. This bill proposed changes to modernize and update Iowa's current HIV criminal transmission laws that do not reflect current medical knowledge or treatment. This bill would help HIV positive individuals and encourage openness and support for victims by decreasing criminal penalties for transmission of the disease.

Hundreds of at-risk Iowans have been denied coverage for their medical needs due to the failure of a high-risk insurance pool program. The program has failed to enroll hundreds of HIV-positive residents of Iowa who could be entitled to more extensive coverage due to a new federally funded program. I have begun work in the Senate to address this issue and to try to help those who deserve coverage from the program.

The high-risk program was created by the federal health reform law and is meant to help Americans with pre-existing health conditions, such as HIV. The problem in Iowa is that the state continues to prohibit third parties, such as other federal programs like the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, from paying for patients’ conditions and care. This prevents uninsured patients from receiving additional funding in the form of coverage that could pay for hospitalizations and doctor visits.

I want to address this issue and create access to funding for all Iowans who fit this high-risk category. The group responsible for the program in Iowa has resisted covering hundreds of eligible patients because of cost concerns. Yet other states have insured as many as they can and have used federal dollars to cover the costs. Iowa should do the same instead of intentionally denying assistance to a targeted group of high-risk patients with HIV.

For our World AIDS Day 2010 section, we wanted to capture the diversity of the AIDS community. So, we reached out to people across the world -- mostly those who have never written for us before -- and asked them to guest blog. These columns are written by people who are living with HIV, have been affected by HIV, or work in the field.

Who would have guessed that Iowa, of all places, would be in the midst of transformational change in our nation's battle regarding equal rights? On April 3, 2009, when the Iowa Supreme Courts ruled in favor of gay marriage in our great state so many people rejoiced. I was among those who celebrated, took pictures of friends who were able to apply for a marriage license with their partners, and cried like a baby at weddings. The fact that our courts ruled the ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional meant victory not only for civil and LGBT rights, but also for my work at the AIDS Project of Central Iowa, an agency near and dear to my heart since 2001.

Talk Radio is undeniably one of the most popular radio formats in America today. Years ago, when the public stopped listening to the radio and started engaging it, the dynamics changed, and the medium hasn’t been the same since. Today, talk radio is available anywhere, anytime, and with leading talk show personalities like Rush Limbaugh, Larry King, Howard Stern, Don Imus and former talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, it’s easy to see and hear why this type of entertainment has our ears waning for more.

Just like the aforementioned hosts, Steve Deace, host of “Deace in the Afternoon” has audiences listening, too. The Christian and conservative talk show host and sports fan has a widespread following that tunes in to 1040-WHO Radio while covering a bevy of topics during your drive-time commute.

More than $664,000 will help move Iowans off ADAP wait list

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that Iowa has been allocated $664,928 for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). This funding will be used to give low-income and uninsured Iowans who are on waiting lists for ADAP benefits access to life-saving medications.

“This money, coupled with a pending Ryan White Part B supplemental award, will be used to help ease the projected budget shortfall already in place, and will allow many clients to be moved off the waiting list and into the program,” said IDPH HIV, STD, and Hepatitis Bureau Chief Randy Mayer. As of September 1, 2010, 130 Iowans were on the Iowa ADAP wait list.

The IDPH ADAP program helps cover prescription drug costs for certain FDA-approved drugs for HIV/AIDS patients who qualify for the program.

For more information about the Iowa ADAP program, including eligibility requirements, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/common/pdf/disease_prevention_immunization/eligibility_guidlines.pdf. For information about the IDPH HIV and AIDS Program, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/hiv_aids_programs.asp.

It's time to have a conversation about shame, and who deserves it. This has become an issue lately, as two local notables have been telling their audiences that people with HIV infection deserve whatever shame and stigma they get.

One is a talk radio host who has called homosexuality a sexual disorder, gay behavior stupid and gay people, even married ones, promiscuous. The other is a state Senate candidate running against a gay incumbent whom he calls a "marriage-diluting sodomite," suggesting he has AIDS and could spread it by shaking hands.

Jan Mickelson and David Leach have been responding to a series of ads sponsored by the AIDS Project of Central Iowa in which I played a role. They feature a variety of Iowans, some known, some unknown, saying that whether or not someone has AIDS won't prevent our associating with them. Each of us begins a sentence with "HIV won't stop me from..." Sen. Matt McCoy, whom Leach is challenging, continues "shaking hands with my constituents." I say, "putting a human face on people who test positive." The ambiguity about which of us has it underscores that "HIV is not the sum of who we are."

But Mickelson claims HIV does discriminate - against gays. As for Leach, he wrote on his website that he fell on the floor each time he heard McCoy's ad. He suggested McCoy must have HIV based on "which direction the disease would be most likely to travel," and if so, would put people at risk by shaking their hands.

Republican Dave Leach says he “fell on the floor” each time he saw television commercials that he says raise questions about whether his Iowa Senate opponent is HIV positive.

In response, state Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, said today he doesn’t understand Leach’s reaction to the anti-stigma advertisements, and that it shouldn’t matter whether or not he has the infection.