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Trump's threat
Calling all LGBTQ, Latinx and HIV / AIDS communities
By Guillermo Chacón
Guillermo Chacón.
Since the beginning of the HIV / AIDS epidemic, our community has made great progress in treating and caring for those affected by this epidemic. More than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV today, but what was considered a death sentence can now be managed as a chronic illness through ongoing care and monitoring.
From 2010 to 2015, the estimated number of annual HIV infections in the United States decreased by 8 percent due to advances in medicine allowing individuals to virally suppress HIV.
This progress did not occur in a vacuum.
It took years of advocacy to inform policy changes, secure funds for innovative research, and ensure patients' access to these life-saving medicines. Those of us who have been on the front lines of this fight know what is at stake if we allow this progress to stagnate. We know what could happen if the Trump administration succeeds in depriving HIV / AIDS and other chronically ill people of the essential protections that patients enjoy.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have recently proposed changes to key safeguards known as Medicare Protected Drug Clbades. These six clbades of medications address patients with complex diseases such as HIV / AIDS, mental illness, epilepsy and cancer, which require individualized treatment to maximize the chances of success. Medicare plans must cover all drugs of these clbades in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for the health of patients. Unfortunately, under the Trump administration, the proposed changes to these protections could be restricted, allowing plans to cover less of these essential drugs.
Patients in need of adequate care, particularly those in marginalized communities who already face barriers to accessing health care, may suffer as a result of these new policies. HIV disproportionately affects African American and Latin American communities.
In 2016, African Americans accounted for 12% of the United States. 44% of HIV diagnoses. At the same time, Hispanics / Latinos make up about 18% of the American population. population, but accounted for 25% of HIV diagnoses. To further complicate matters, 58% of Latinos aged 18 and over have never been tested for HIV in their lifetime, while one in six did not know that they had been exposed to HIV. HIV.
We have been facing these realities for many years, but the Trump Administration's proposal is to make this escalation even more difficult for patients. The limitation of treatment options will not only apply to HIV-positive people, but also to those who have completed their current treatment plans. Interruptions in care are correlated with lower adherence to treatment regimens, demoralization of patients, and decreased effectiveness. For conditions such as HIV / AIDS, it is not only a threat to health outcomes, but also to public health, as conditions once managed can reappear and put into effect. potentially other people in danger.
Progress has been made through years of advocacy.
Leaving these communities with limited treatment options goes against Medicare's public health mandate.
While people living with HIV / AIDS have enjoyed significant visibility, compbadion, and progress in health care in recent years, we know that all of this progress can be compromised by policy development. short-sighted. We can not move together as long as these disparities continue to exist and expand. Leaders must reject the limitation of these basic patient protections and work to stop the HIV / AIDS epidemic in our communities.
We have come too far to turn back now.
Guillermo Chacón is president of the Latin American AIDS Commission and founder of the Hispanic Health Network. For more information, visit latinoaids.org or call 212.675.3288.
Trump's threat
Calling all LGBTQ, Latinx and HIV / AIDS communities
By Guillermo Chacón
Guillermo Chacón.
In the decades since the initial HIV / AIDS outbreak, our community has made great strides in the treatment and care of those affected by this epidemic. In the United States, more than 1.1 million people are living with HIV today, but what we thought was a death sentence can now be treated as a chronic disease through care and treatment. continuous monitoring.
In the United States, the annual number of HIV infections has decreased by 8% between 2010 and 2015, thanks to advances in medicine that enable people to eliminate HIV virally.
This progress did not occur in a vacuum.
Years of advocacy have been needed to inform policy changes, raise funds for innovative research, and guarantee patients access to these life-saving medicines. Those of us who have been at the forefront of this struggle know what is at stake if we let this progress stagnate. We know what could happen if the Trump government manages to eliminate the essential protections for HIV / AIDS patients and those with chronic diseases.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have recently proposed changes to key safeguards, called the six protected clbades of Medicare drugs, for patients with complex illnesses such as HIV / AIDS, mental illness, epilepsy and stroke. Cancer. that require individualized treatment regimens to maximize success. Medicare plans must cover all drugs of these clbades in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for the health of patients. Unfortunately, under the Trump administration, the proposed changes to these protections could be reduced, allowing plans to cover less of these essential drugs.
Modifications are proposed to clbades of protected drugs.
Patients requiring personalized attention, particularly those from marginalized communities who already face barriers to accessing medical care, may be at risk because of these new policies. HIV disproportionately affects African American and Latin American communities.
In 2016, African Americans accounted for 12% of the US population but accounted for 44% of HIV diagnoses. At the same time, Hispanics and Latinos accounted for about 18% of the US population, but accounted for 25% of HIV diagnoses. To further complicate this problem, 58% of Latinos over the age of 18 have never been tested for HIV in their lifetime, although 1 in 6 people do not know they have been exposed to HIV.
We have been facing these realities for many years, but the Trump government's proposal makes this escalation even more difficult for patients. Limiting treatment options will not only affect people newly diagnosed with HIV, but also those who have successfully completed their current treatments for years. Interruptions in care correlate with reduced adherence to treatment regimens, demoralization of patients, and decreased effectiveness. For diseases such as HIV / AIDS, it is not only a threat to health outcomes, but also to public health, because once diseases are under control, they can come back and put potentially the others in danger.
Progress has been made over the years of defense.
Leaving these communities with limited treatment options goes against Medicare's public health mandate.
Although people living with HIV / AIDS have enjoyed the past few years, many have long sought to improve their visibility, compbadion and health care, but we know that all of this progress can be compromised by the formulation of myopic policies. We can not move together as long as these disparities persist and worsen. Leaders must refuse to remove these basic protections for the patient and work to end the HIV / AIDS epidemic in our communities.
We have come too far to turn back now.
Guillermo Chacón is president of the Latin American AIDS Commission and founder of the Health Network. Hispanic For more information, visit latinoaids.org or call 212.675.3288.
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