Posts
Gov. Pat Quinn presented the
Illinois state budget on March 6, which reduces many 2014 state revenues
because of the state’s $96 billion pension situation, and cuts funding for
several HIV education services. Quinn’s $35.6 million proposed budget would cut
HIV spending by 16 percent—from $26.23 million in 2013 to $21.75 million in
2014. According to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), most of these cuts
will be made to Illinois’ AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which provides
medications to people with AIDS.
AFC is calling upon lawmakers to
reverse the proposed reductions, as HIV funding has already been cut by 30
percent—$9 million—throughout the last two years. “HIV funding cuts have
resulted in dramatic decreases in the availability of HIV prevention, housing,
and supportive services across the state,” said Ramon Gardenhire, AFC’s
director of government relations. The cuts will impact the availability of
services for Illinois HIV patients; however, the cuts would coincide with the
Affordable Care Act insurance coverage for patients, which would lessen some
costs for ADAP. David Ernesto Munar, AFC’s president and chief executive
officer, asserted that the Affordable Care Act savings should be reinvested to
provide more funding for HIV services and should not be viewed as a way to
offset the cuts. Munar declared that many HIV-infected persons will gain new
health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, which will then
provide partial relief to Illinois’ ADAP, further stating that Illinois has a
“once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvest ADAP savings to fund HIV prevention
and service programs that will reduce new HIV cases and improve health
outcomes.”
Besides promoting the savings of
universal health insurance, AFC is asking state lawmakers to approve
legislation that would extend Medicaid coverage to all low-income people,
including people with HIV. Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and Sen. Heather
Steans (D-Chicago) are sponsoring legislation that is pending in the Illinois
General Assembly’s House Chamber. AFC stated that the bill would authorize
Illinois to use federal funds through the Affordable Care Act to provide
Medicaid to approximately 342,000 low-income, uninsured people, including
thousands who are living with HIV/AIDS. The Medicaid coverage would cost the
state no money during the first three years. The bill also would move HIV
medication costs to the federal government, which would lead to savings that
Illinois could use to invest in HIV care and prevention efforts.
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.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
