2014 World AIDS Day Marks Hope for an AIDS-free Generation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2014) — Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day, an observance of the continued effort to address HIV/AIDS and a commemoration of those who have died. The 2014 theme for World AIDS Day is “Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation." HIV/AIDS currently affects approximately 35 million people worldwide, including more than 1.2 million Americans living with HIV. According to the World AIDS Campaign, between 1981 and 2007 more than 25 million have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.
In the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) created historic opportunities for improved health care for people living with HIV (PLWH). For individuals with the disease, comprehensive health care is critical because of the complexity of the chronic illness. For communities, improving and maintaining the health of PWLH is important because it reduces the chance of spread of the disease.
The ACA increased health care access for many people living with HIV through private market reforms, an expansion of Medicaid eligibility, and the establishment of health insurance marketplaces. Several key reforms of the ACA also benefit PLWH, including a prohibition of pre-existing condition exclusions and discriminatory rates, prohibitions against imposing annual dollar limits on essential health benefits, dependent coverage extension to age 26, and coverage of specified preventive health services without cost-sharing.
This video from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program highlights a Kentucky story about how the ACA has helped PLWH, including the role of the University of Kentucky Bluegrass Care Clinic.
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The White House will hold a World AIDS Day event Monday, Dec. 1, available via webcast from noon- 2 p.m. (EST) at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
To find free, fast, and confidential HIV testing site near you, visit https://gettested.cdc.gov/.
MEDIA CONTACT: Mallory Powell, mallory.powell@uky.edu
