For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Lewis, 202.853.1846, clewis@nmac.org
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECISION TO END PROTECTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS HURTS EFFORTS TO END HIV EPIDEMIC
June 8, 2018 – The Trump Administration announcement that they will no longer defend the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting conditions endangers health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions like HIV, cancer, asthma, or diabetes, all of which have a disproportionate impact on communities of color.
The fight to end the HIV epidemic is dependent on providing health care coverage to all Americans – particularly people of color – living with pre-existing conditions like HIV. If this decision stands, people living with HIV could be denied coverage or have to pay much higher insurance premiums. That will deter people from getting tested or seeking and staying in care, two vital components to ending the epidemic.
“Access to testing and health care is critical to ending the HIV epidemic,” said Paul Kawata, NMAC’s Executive Director. “If people living with HIV can’t get insurance because they have a pre-existing condition, they will not be able to afford the care they need and deserve. This is especially true for people of color who statistically bear the greatest burden of the HIV epidemic. Without care, they will no longer be virally suppressed, risking their own health and putting their partners at greater risk of HIV transmission. This decision endangers all of the progress we’ve made in the fight against HIV in recent years and we hope that it will be reversed.”
NMAC leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced our mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous electronic and print materials, and a website: www.nmac.org. NMAC also serves as an association of AIDS service organizations, providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the HIV epidemic.
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