The Affordable Care Act and People Living with HIV/AIDS Review

One of the questions I get frequently is “how is the Affordable Care Act (the health care law of 2010) helping people living with HIV/AIDS?” The short answer is: in many ways. The detailed answer is more complex, but also much more exciting.

To provide a more comprehensive answer to this important inquiry, we recently worked with our colleagues in the HHS Office of Health Reform to update a fact sheet about how the Affordable Care Act is particularly important for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), as well as other people living with serious medical conditions. The Affordable Care Act puts in place strong consumer protections, provides new coverage options and gives you the tools you need to make informed choices about your health. Among the ways the ACA is helping PLWHAs are the following:

    Ensuring that AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) benefits are now considered as contributions toward a Medicare beneficiary’s true Out of Pocket Spending Limit for drug coverage, a huge relief for low-income beneficiaries living with HIV and AIDS because it helps them move through the “donut hole” more quickly;

    Improving access to coverage and protecting people with HIV/AIDS now by making available a Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan in every state and making important insurance reforms to protect people from insurance company abuses;

    Offering quality coverage to every person with HIV/AIDS in 2014 and beyond via Medicaid expansion, additional insurance reforms, and closing the “Donut Hole;”

    Ensuring people have quality care, good insurance coverage, and the information they need to find it; and

    Increasing opportunities for health, well-being, and cultural competency.

As HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius observed in her World AIDS Day statement last month, so many of our current HIV/AIDS efforts “build on a foundation laid by the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, which dramatically expands access to coverage for people with HIV/AIDS. The law also bans the worst insurance abuses so that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with HIV and other conditions or cancel coverage when someone gets sick or makes an error on a form. Under the health care law, we’re also expanding Medicaid so that it will be available to many more Americans with HIV/AIDS, including single adults.”

Learn more details in the fact sheet (PDF 33KB) about what the health care law does to help people with HIV/AIDS.

1 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94109
Serving San Francisco and surrounding area

(800) 823-7249

The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence Review

What a wonderful group of people with such a great cause. The Sisters have done some extraordinary outreach work especially concerning HIV/AIDS. And by making a joke out of the Catholic church and it's convents, and mixing in the fabulous drag element makes it that much greater. Any group that goes out and makes a scene, I have major respect for. The Sisters can be found at many public free events around SF, or sometimes just walking around the mall in full drag. How cool is that? I've met quite a few sisters and I have not met anyone with bigger hearts and more passion and drive to make a change and help the community. Anyone who says this group is offensive is a judgmental homophobic prick who does not understand satire, or really what the sisters are all about.

584 Castro St
Ste 392
(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Castro

(415) 820-9697

AHF Pharmacy Review

This not-for-profit pharmacy is open to the public and conveniently located at the corner of Church and Duboce st., inside the Out of the Closet store. Though the pharmacy specializes in HIV meds, it also carries a wide variety of non HIV medications and over the counter items and offers automated 24-hour prescription refills and free, discreet home delivery.In addition, for the sports supplements afficionados out there, the pharmacy also carries a wide variety of sports nutrition supplements for VERY competitive prices compared to GNC or the local gyms. And and if feeling philantrophic while picking up your meds is your thing, it helps to know that 96¢ of every dollar earned by the AHF pharmacies directly fund AIDS Healthcare Foundation's HIV/AIDS programs domestically and abroad! Now, that leaves you feeling pretty good!

100 Church St
(between Duboce Ave & Reservoir St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhoods: Hayes Valley, Castro

(415) 552-0350

National AIDS Memorial Grove

If you're looking for a small and unknown gem within San Francisco, then you should definitely check out the National AIDS Memorial Grove. While there are several places in Golden Gate Park that are special and unique, the Grove is unique in it's own way. For 20 years, the Grove has been around to offer individuals throughout the world a place to join together for reflection, serenity and healing. The reason that this place is so unique is simply because it is a living monument to all those who have passed away from the AIDS virus. And throughout the entire area, you will see small pieces of color and life that are a reminder of the happiness and love of those lost in our community.

Golden Gate Park
Bowling Green Dr & Middle Dr E
San Francisco, CA 94117

(415) 765-0498

Gay Men's Health Crisis Review

A great place to learn about the latest news on everything related to the war against HIV and AIDS and resources to those interested in helping humanity triumph. I was here to attend a panel discussion about PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis). Specifically about new studies that show if those prone to risky behaviors prior to sex take oral HIV meds, they may possibly prevent infection. Specifically, this applies to people who are already negative. An interesting discussion as it was made crystal clear that HIV rates are not going down. Especially, here in NYC and that this may be a viable avenue for putting a halt to that if people aren't willing to engage in safer sex.

119 W 24th St
(between 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10011
Neighborhood: Chelsea

(212) 367-1000

AIDS LifeCycle Review

To describe this event as a charity cycling event from San Francisco to Los Angeles is a shameful understatement. On the surface, yes, most of its participants embark on a mission, pedaling a bike nearly 600 miles down the big-arse state of California over 7 days, sleeping in tents each night, and raising a minimum of $2500 for AIDS/HIV beneficiaries that make a huge difference to the greater community. That in itself is admirable in heroic proportions, especially considering how many people sign up scared shitless about doing something like this when they've never ridden a bike for over 15 miles before.

I've participated in AIDS/Lifecycle and its predecessor event in California 4 times -- each time as a cyclist. The days I've spent on those journeys are some of the best I've ever lived... frankly put. They've given me humbling perspective on what I might normally define as a life challenge, and they've rewarded me with intimate revelations about how GREAT people really are in a world we may often start to get fed up with.

995 Market St
(at Mason St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhoods: Civic Center/Tenderloin, SOMA

(415) 581-7077