AIDS Foundation of Chicago Statement on Election Results
AFC hails election results as progress toward health care reform, but urges officials
to prevent harmful cuts to HIV services and other programs for vulnerable populations.
At the AIDS Foundation (AFC) of Chicago, we congratulate President Barack Obama, U.S. Representatives from Illinois, and all state House and Senate candidates on their election victory last night.
We are a nonpartisan organization and endorse no political candidates or parties. But we also recognize that President Obama’s reelection bodes well for the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which will in little more than a year give hundreds of millions of people living with HIV and other chronic illnesses access to comprehensive health care.
Without question, President Obama’s leadership passing and implementing national health care reform will make possible groundbreaking health gains for people with HIV, and takes us a step closer to ending AIDS in our lifetime.
However, the President and current Congress have significant unfinished business that they must address immediately.
We call on President Obama and Congress to act now to end the threat of automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, which will impose steep funding reductions on programs vital to people with HIV or at risk of HIV. Our political leaders must adopt a balanced package of revenue increases and funding cuts that will avert debilitating funding cuts to safety net programs.
We congratulate the 40 new members of the Illinois General Assembly who will take office in January, and we look forward to working with them over the coming months. Most importantly, the General Assembly must begin work immediately to implement national health care reform, including expanding Medicaid to an estimated 500,000 newly-eligible people in Illinois.
As a final note, we at AFC believe in equal rights and access to health care for all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or economic status. Stigma and homophobia fuel the AIDS epidemic. As such, we applaud all elected officials who have supported LGBT rights in the past and those who will join us in the ongoing fight for social justice.
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Founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a catalyst for local, national, and international action against HIV/AIDS.
Media contact: John Peller, 312-314-0921
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