Provider

Appendix E

Advance Letter INVITING ParticIpation in

Interview for the aspe study

ASPE LETTERHEAD

DATE

Dear [RESPONDENT]:

We are writing to invite you to participate in a study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). The study will examine the potential impact of Public Law 111-148 (“the Affordable Care Act”) on access to care among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who rely on services funded under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program) for their HIV care, treatment and support services. The Affordable Care Act was designed to significantly increase insurance coverage for Americans through expansions of Medicaid and private coverage offered through state health insurance exchanges.

The main goals of the study are to (1) project potential shifts in demand for Ryan White-funded medical and supportive services after Affordable Care Act implementation; (2) identify key factors that contribute to jurisdictions’ unmet needs beginning in 2014; and (3) develop policy options concerning monitoring HIV-related service needs under health reform, and identifying alternative reimbursement models for HIV care providers.  Findings from this study will provide important information for ASPE’s consideration regarding the potential impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the people it serves.

You are invited to participate in a one-hour telephone interview with staff from Mathematica Policy Research, who is conducting the study under contract with ASPE. The purpose of the interview is to solicit input from Ryan White Program grantees and providers on the following topics:  (1) HIV service needs and use, (2) funding priorities and allocations, (3) funding sources, (4) coordination of benefits, (5) provider reimbursement, and (6) strategies to manage Ryan White expenditures. The interviews will be confidential.  None of the comments you provide will be attributed to you or to your organization. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and your decision to participate will have no impact on your organization’s Ryan White funding. Interviews will be conducted by telephone between August and November 2013.

A project staff member from Mathematica will contact you soon to confirm your willingness to participate in the study and to schedule a convenient time to speak with you by telephone.

If you have questions about the study, please do not hesitate to contact Adelle Simmons, the ASPE project officer, at (202) 690-5924 or via e-mail at [email protected], or Boyd Gilman, the project director, at (617) 301-8974 or via e-mail at [email protected].

We believe that you would bring a valuable perspective to this important study, and we hope you will be able to offer your insights to this process.

Sincerely,

Richard Kronick, Ph.D. 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy

Rebecca T. Slifkin, Ph.D., Director,

Office of Planning, Analysis and Evaluation  

Health Resources and Services Administration