By Anthony Millspaugh
"Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant...."
So begins the achingly poignant memoir The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, an exploration of love and loss, grief and resilience. In October 2005, it was the book I was reading when I received a call from a specialist who had recently conducted a procedure ordered by my doctor; the news...
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Jeff Tomlinson is what you might call a “normal guy.” He was born and raised in rural Illinois; he has worked as a teacher in the U.S. and in other countries; he goes out and dates and volunteers. But he worries about things that some don’t have to worry about: as someone living with HIV who depends on vital, threatened programs like ADAP, he knows that his health care...
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AFC urges passage of a positive budget to ensure essential services continue
On Wednesday, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner once again presented the Illinois General Assembly with a budget that fails to protect the most vulnerable people in the state. Eight months into the fiscal year and without a budget in place that funds essential services, Governor Rauner proposed a budget for...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) thanks the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for adding hepatitis C medications to the list of drugs available under the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which ensures that people living with HIV have access to life-saving treatments. The IDPH decision is especially significant given that about one-third of people living with...
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Updated Dec. 22, 2015 with finalized report from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School
To help people living with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) choose health insurance marketplace plans, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School have collected information...
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On July 1, Illinois state government will shut down if the General Assembly and Governor Bruce Rauner cannot come to an agreement on a budget.
This could mean a grim future for people with HIV in Illinois, as programs like the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) might shut down.
ADAP provides lifesaving HIV medications to low-income people living with HIV. The number of people...
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Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner today proposed a $31.5 billion budget for the state’s next fiscal year that contains draconian cuts to the Illinois Department of Public Health and HIV services. The state’s last fiscal year saw $26 million appropriated for HIV-related services, but Rauner proposed slashing HIV services in FY 2016 to $20 million, a nearly 25% reduction. ...
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1) Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Program transfer to federal program: The Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Program (IPXP) will transfer all enrollees to the federal Pre-Existing Condition Program (PCIP) effective July 1, 2013. The federal government made a decision to no longer fund state PCIPs because of limited funding. These programs were created by the Affordable...
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AFC Urges Governor, General Assembly to Reverse Decision in the Interest of Public Health
On April 15, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced plans to restrict access to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to new applicants with incomes at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($32,670 for a single individual) beginning in July. The current...
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There are two important changes to Illinois ADAP that will benefit people with HIV who get their medications from either private insurance or Medicare. In addition, a third change may make it possible for people on ADAP to afford comprehensive health insurance under the new Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.
1. More help with co-pays and premiums if...
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