When Ruben Bermudez, 31, found out that he had HIV more than a decade ago, he didn't want to take his medicine. He went on treatment for a few weeks, but said the intensive pill regimen made him feel dizzy.
He stopped treatment and tried to ignore the diagnosis, moving to Florida from Washington in pursuit of sunshine. In 2008, he learned that one of his best friends died of a brain tumor that couldn't be treated because his immune system has been debilitated by AIDS. Bermudez realized that his only chance at a relatively healthy life would depend on taking pills daily.
"With his passing I decided to wake up and take control of my health and my life," Bermudez says. "Because at that point my HIV was spiraling way downhill. I should have been dead."
But the pills for HIV that he's taken daily since then have come with a hefty price tag. Monthly HIV treatment regimens range from $2,000 to $5,000 — much of it for drugs. With the life expectancy for HIV patients increasing, the lifetime cost of treatment in today's terms is estimated at more than half-million dollars. And while many people qualify for public assistance programs, staying eligible for support is a constant balancing act. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around half the people diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. don't receive regular health care. Of those who do, 42 percent receive Medicaid and 24 percent are uninsured.People who are uninsured can still qualify for health services through the federally funded and state-run Ryan White Care act, which pays for medication through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, or ADAP.
While the Obama administration released $79 million in funding for ADAP last week — eliminating waiting lists in 10 states — the program's support has fluctuated with each annual congressional appropriations process.
Each state has an eligibility process to receive ADAP support, and Murray Penner, with the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, explains that in many places the income cut-off limit for aid is $22,000 annually.
He stopped treatment and tried to ignore the diagnosis, moving to Florida from Washington in pursuit of sunshine. In 2008, he learned that one of his best friends died of a brain tumor that couldn't be treated because his immune system has been debilitated by AIDS. Bermudez realized that his only chance at a relatively healthy life would depend on taking pills daily.
"With his passing I decided to wake up and take control of my health and my life," Bermudez says. "Because at that point my HIV was spiraling way downhill. I should have been dead."
But the pills for HIV that he's taken daily since then have come with a hefty price tag. Monthly HIV treatment regimens range from $2,000 to $5,000 — much of it for drugs. With the life expectancy for HIV patients increasing, the lifetime cost of treatment in today's terms is estimated at more than half-million dollars. And while many people qualify for public assistance programs, staying eligible for support is a constant balancing act. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around half the people diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. don't receive regular health care. Of those who do, 42 percent receive Medicaid and 24 percent are uninsured.People who are uninsured can still qualify for health services through the federally funded and state-run Ryan White Care act, which pays for medication through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, or ADAP.
While the Obama administration released $79 million in funding for ADAP last week — eliminating waiting lists in 10 states — the program's support has fluctuated with each annual congressional appropriations process.
Each state has an eligibility process to receive ADAP support, and Murray Penner, with the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, explains that in many places the income cut-off limit for aid is $22,000 annually.