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Healthcare

  • In 2011 life expectancy for someone who is HIV positive was 70 years.  This is important to note because under the Affordable Care Act (healthcare legislation passed under the Obama Administration), only covers those up until their mid 60s that are not at a severe risk which makes our elderly, who are most vulnerable, exposed and without care for the remainder of their lives. Even those who are high risk that continue to get coverage after reaching their 60s only cover things such as copays and deductables. HIV is a lifelong condition, and without coverage elderly people living with HIV would not be able to get the care they need.  Although Medicaid does have its flaws, this system has provided health coverage for millions of Americans and without it they would not be able to be insured.    ​

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  • “Medicaid is the largest payer for HIV care in the United States, and the expansion of Medicaid to low-income childless adults is particularly important for many gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) who were previously ineligible for Medicaid, and yet remain the population most affected by the HIV epidemic.  Further, in states that opt for Medicaid expansion, people living with HIV who meet the income threshold will no longer have to wait for an AIDS diagnosis in order to become eligible for Medicaid. That means they can get into life-extending care and treatment before the disease has significantly damaged their immune system.” (hiv.org)

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“ Under the ACA, most new health insurance plans must cover certain recommended preventive services including HIV testing for everyone ages 15 to 65, and for people of other ages at increased risk without additional cost-sharing, such as copays or deductibles”. (hiv.org)

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  • This infographic shows coverage options under the Affordable Care Act for uninsured adults living with HIV. This is illustrating that “if all states expanded Medicaid, 46,910 of [uninsured adults with HIV] would be eligible for Medicaid and 20,290 would be eligible for subsidized coverage in the Marketplace.” This would make a huge difference in the lives of these people, creating better access to care and the medications they might need to extend their life expectancy.

 

Medicaid

 

  • Medicaid as protection against industries trying to strip coverage for  people living with HIV

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  • Pre-existing conditions are an underlying issue that will occur throughout your lifetime. HIV/AIDS are examples of a pre-existing condition. The importance of knowing this is because in the past, having pre-existing conditions has meant that health insurance companies can withhold coverage from you. These companies were given the freedom of discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions, because they were having recurring issues which meant they lost more money. That all changed when The Obama Administration stepped into the Oval Office. He signed into law the Affordable Care Act, which made healthcare a bit more accessible. Under the ACA, there are protections against the dicrimination of people with pre-existing conditions. During the early stages of The Trump Administration he tried to repeal the ACA and put back the limitations that were restricted in 2014. Fortunately Trumpcare was not approved.

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​- In this bar chart, we see that the majority across generations with people living with  HIV have received initial care but the percentage of those that continued to retain care is extremely low. As illustrated above, the total sum of those who received initial care is 63% but in contrast those who kept receiving that care was less than half (49%). This is important to recognize because out of the 86% that were diagnosed, more than 20% were left with care and even less than that retained it. HIV is a life changing and chronic illness. Without access to this care people living with HIV are left vulnerable. Due to our privatized healthcare system, our medical care is not attainable for many Americans and retaining that care is costly.

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  • 12 states have not adopted Medicaid including states such as Texas and Florida. Whereas in California the Medicaid program was both adopted and implemented in January 2014.

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“In all states, Medicaid provides coverage for some low-income people, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. In some states, Medicaid has been expanded to cover all adults below a certain income level.”

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HIPPA

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  • HIPPA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, is a federal law issued out of the US Department of Health and Human Services that protects sensitive health information. Doctor-Patient confidentiality is just one of the many rights a person can have under HIPPA. If you are over eighteen years of age you have to give your consent to your doctor before they can share information with your parents and/or legal guardian. Under  the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, there is a Privacy Rule and a Security Rule.

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  • The HIPPA Security Rule protects the information that is covered by the Privacy Rule. This means that your medical information is protected under the law. Your doctors cannot discuss your medical information, which is important especially for people wanting to keep their medical issues private. (cdc.org)  

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  • Connections to free testing for college students

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  • https://www.until.org/hiv-testing-centers.html

  • This is a link, where by state, you can look and find centers that provide free HIV testing. This is an important resource because if you are not over 18 you can get testing that can be kept private if that's what you so desire. In this day and age we are still living in a world that is not so accepting of people who are different. In California, for example, there are 17 free testing facilities. .

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Ryan White/ADAP

 

  • “The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program was named for a courageous young man named Ryan White who was diagnosed with AIDS following a blood transfusion in December 1984. Ryan White was diagnosed at age 13 while living in Kokomo, Indiana and was given six months to live. When Ryan White tried to return to school, he fought AIDS-related discrimination in his Indiana community. Along with his mother Jeanne White Ginder, Ryan White rallied for his right to attend school - gaining national attention - and became the face of public education about his disease. Surprising his doctors, Ryan White lived five years longer than predicted. He died in April 1990, one month before his high school graduation and only months before Congress passed the legislation bearing his name in August 1990 - the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act.”

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  • Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS after a blood transfusion.

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  • Takes you to pamphlet with more statistics showing change since implementation of Ryan White program

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  • Website with Ryan white act changes

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  • Since the implementation of the Ryan White HIV/AIDs medical assistance program, 87.1% of Americans living with HIV/AIDs have reported that they have started to receive aid. This chart shows the gradual change since 2010.

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  • “The Ryan White Care Program, for instance, has been flat funded (i.e, remained the same) since its reauthorization in 2009 despite an increasing number of people living with HIV in the U.S. coming to rely on it for medical and social support.”

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  • ADAP

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  • “Part B of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-87) provides grants to U.S. states and territories. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) is a state and territory-administered program authorized under Part B that provides FDA-approved medications to low-income people living with HIV who have limited or no health coverage from private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. ADAP funds may also be used to purchase health insurance for eligible clients and for services that enhance access to, adherence to, and monitoring of drug treatments.”

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  • Due to the misstep that occurred with Ryan White’s treatments, The Obama Administration signed into law the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. The ADAP,The AIDS Drug Assistance Program, under this those with Medicaid or Medicare are granted access to medication for HIV.

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