Health Care Reform Provisions Benefit Those Living with HIV/AIDS

On March 23, President Obama signed into law the most sweeping reform of the American health care system since Medicare and Medicaid. While it is not even close to being “universal” health care, there are some provisions that are beneficial for those living with HIV, as well as support for prevention. Those provisions include:

*Allowing states to immediately extend Medicaid coverage to low-income HIV-positive people who are currently caught in the gap between being considered “too healthy” to receive assistance and yet are too poor to buy their own insurance.

*Help to states to maximize the number of people who benefit from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program by improving coordination between ADAP and Medicare.

*Prevention and Wellness provisions would increase access to voluntary HIV testing and other preventative measures.

*By 2014, HIV-positive people will not be excluded from being covered due to pre-existing conditions. Coverage of children with pre-existing conditions will begin immediately.

*Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping coverage of people who become ill.

*Elimination of lifetime coverage limits and restriction of annual coverage limits will go into effect this year.

The Senate is now in the process of debating the bill and Republicans have vowed to repeal it. A simple majority of 51 votes will be needed to pass it and those are expected to come entirely from Democrats.

It remains to be seen how great, or small, the impact of this reform will be on those living with HIV, but it will provide thousands with access to care that they don’t currently have.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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