Unsuccessful Congressional ACA Repeal Efforts

Statement of HIVMA Chair Wendy Armstrong, MD, FIDSA:

The HIV Medicine Association is heartened that current Congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which has provided healthcare coverage to 20 million Americans including many living with HIV, have ended with a failed Senate vote on the Health Care Freedom Act of 2017. We commend the Senate Democratic Caucus and Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John McCain for prioritizing the health not only of their constituents but also of 16 million Americans by voting to protect their access to health care. In addition, their actions have protected the health of the tens of thousands of individuals living with HIV who gained healthcare coverage under the ACA, as well as the more than forty percent of patients living with HIV who count on the Medicaid program.

As we move forward, we remain concerned that the Administration and Congress will attempt to take additional steps to undermine the ACA and the Medicaid program, once again risking our patients’ health and compromising efforts to address the high rates of uninsured low-income patients in states that have not yet expanded Medicaid. The events of the last week have underscored the national support for a plan that will preserve and improve healthcare coverage and the need for bipartisan efforts to develop this legislation. We urge members of Congress to work together through a deliberative and transparent process to strengthen the healthcare programs in place and improve access to quality affordable healthcare for all Americans.

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The HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) is the professional home for more than 5,000 physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals dedicated to the field of HIV/AIDS. Nested within the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), HIVMA promotes quality in HIV care and advocates policies that ensure a comprehensive and humane response to the AIDS pandemic informed by science and social justice. For more information, visit www.hivma.org.