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When someone stole a month’s supply of medicine
from 23-year-old AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent and her insurance company
refused to replace the drugs, she figured she’d pay for more out of
her own pocket — until she learned that they’d cost her $1,600.
“They really expect people to be able to afford
this medication? And I was only on five pills — imagine people who
take 10 pills a month,” she says. Broadbent — Tuesday’s keynote speaker at
the 16th annual Illinois Department of Public Health-sponsored HIV/STD
Conference, held in Springfield this week — was born HIV-positive and
began her public-speaking career at age 6, an irresistible voice asking for
compassion for people with HIV. The victor of innumerable medical struggles
(she has had chickenpox seven times), she calls affordable health care her
“new battle.”
People who have HIV/AIDS often lack, and are unable
to obtain, health insurance. This predicament means that they not only
can’t afford expensive medicines but also must forgo such routine
procedures as Pap smears, which women with HIV/AIDS are encouraged to have
twice a year. As of August, 33,201 Illinoisans were living with
HIV/AIDS, according to IDPH figures. For many people with HIV/AIDS who have
limited prescription-drug insurance coverage or none at all, the AIDS Drug
Assistance Program, which is funded by the federal government, state
governments, and private donations, is the only way to get the medications
they need. In March, activists held a lobby day at the
Statehouse to support Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal for universal
health care, Illinois Covered, which the governor’s administration
called “a major step toward slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS” in
Illinois. Their voices fell on deaf ears; so far, legislators have resisted
any expansion of state health benefits, citing cost concerns.
Health workers, social-service professionals,
counselors, community activists, and about 150 people living with HIV/AIDS
attended this week’s three-day conference, which also featured
workshops, a film festival, and a prom-themed dance.
Insurance coverage wasn’t the only subject of
discussion; other topics included housing issues, the correlation between
drug and alcohol abuse and STDs, and HIV-prevention techniques for a
variety of populations, such as Latinos, transgendered people, and
residents of rural communities.
Harold Lawary, co-chair of the Illinois Community
Planning Group, says, “It is important for us to stay vigilant in our
efforts to develop prevention strategies to meet the needs of those
communities most at risk for HIV disease.”
The IDPH’s newly appointed director, Dr. Damon
Arnold, agrees with Lawary. Arnold, a colonel in the Illinois Army National
Guard, says advances are needed to reduce the infection rate, particularly
in the African-American community and among gay men. “We sometimes have a tendency to focus on
statistics,” he says, “but when a person with HIV comes to you,
it’s not just one person; it’s an entire community.”
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2007.
