On May 31, the Illinois General Assembly adjourned its regular session without passing a state budget. Today marks 11 months without a budget, further threatening HIV testing and prevention services, care for people with HIV, supportive housing for formerly homeless people and other vital services. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is dismayed that in those 11 months, the legislature...
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by Ramon Gardenhire, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy
I knew my meeting last week with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was going to be a smashing success when I and 19 other representatives of more than 70 HIV organizations introduced ourselves as a bunch of policy wonks and Secretary Clinton replied, “Well, you know that’s a term of endearment to me.”...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and Howard Brown Health (HBH) have confirmed that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will remove Atripla from the preferred drug list beginning Monday, April 25, in an effort to reduce costs.
Atripla was the only single-tablet regimen (STR) HIV medication covered under the Illinois Medicaid program’s...
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by Jasmine Tucker, AFC Associate Board Co-chair and HIV advocate
As I was riding the Pink Line to 200 W. Jackson Blvd at 5 a.m., I had no clue what HIV Advocacy Day was going to bring. I was nervous, because this was my first time having a chance to potentially meet face-to-face with my legislators, Representative (and Majority Leader) Barbara Flynn Currie and Senator Kwame Raoul. I knew...
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by Mirhanda Alewine and Eryn MacNeil
In Plain Sight, from Chicago’s History Moves “mobile museum” project , aims to engage communities in conversation about the history of women living with HIV in Chicago by highlighting the stories of participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Eryn MacNeil and Mirhanda Alewine, two AFC staff members, had the opportunity...
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CHICAGO – The AIDS Foundation of Chicago and The AIDS Institute are pleased to report that through their joint advocacy, national health insurance provider Ambetter Health has agreed to expand the list of medications it covers to include life-saving daily treatments for people living with HIV. This change is effective immediately and benefits Ambetter Qualified Health Plan (QHP) enrollees...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) applauds Get Covered Illinois and the Illinois Department of Insurance for reducing Illinois’ uninsured rate from 17.8% to 10.6% among 18-64 year olds between 2013 and 2015. This feat is one of the largest uninsured percentage drops in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medicaid is now the largest payer of HIV 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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Given Illinois' state budget woes, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) seeks to protect and preserve vital HIV/AIDS prevention, education, housing and treatment services, and ensure that providers are fully paid for services rendered under contract with the state during the budget impasse.
Furthermore, AFC aims to ensure adequate funding for critical services including mental...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) applauds President Barack Obama’s commitment to reaching an AIDS-free generation in the U.S. as reflected in the proposed federal budget for the 2017 fiscal year.
Thanks to the Obama administration’s dedication to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the proposed budget advances progress toward making HIV infections rare by:...
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