August 27, 2009
AIDS ACTIVISTS DEMAND A PUBLIC OPTION TO ADDRESS HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES, AND DISPUTE THE TACTICS OF 'TOWN HALL' DISRUPTORS
ACT UP Philadelphia, the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power, calls on Senator Arlen Specter to ensure the passage of health care reform that includes a 'public option' with coverage for all Americans, including those living with HIV/AIDS and all those at risk of infection. ACT UP will be visiting Sen. Specter's Philadelphia office on Friday, August 28, and again the following week, to encourage him to defend the most vulnerable members of our society. "Health care reform is a chance to end all racial, economic, gender, and sexual-orientation-based disparities in accessing medical care" said Erica Goldberg, ACT UP member. "Without a 'public option', I fear that reform will exclude people living with HIV/AIDS.”
Health disparities, or lack of access to health resources based on race, economic status, gender, and sexual orientation, are astonishingly common. One recent report by the Black AIDS Institute concluded: "HIV-related health disparities between whites and Blacks have actually widened as medical advances have made HIV treatable...Meanwhile, Blacks are eight times more likely than whites to become newly infected with HIV" (Left Behind. Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global AIDS Epidemic).
Philadelphia, in particular, suffers from one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the country. HIV disproportionately impacts Black, Latino, low-income, MSM (men who have sex with men), transgender, and injecting drug user populations. These populations face discrimination, stigma, and lack of access to adequate health care, especially preventative and primary care services. ACT UP demands health care reform that addresses these disparities. ACT UP also sees an opportunity to address HIV prevention in a more systemic way. "Regular, reliable health care will give more people access to lifesaving health information. A lot of people get HIV because they don't know how to prevent it. Seeing a doctor regularly will allow people to get educated about the risks they face" said Paul Yabor, ACT UP member.
"Senator Specter has proven himself to be an ally in the past. He has worked to decrease costs of HIV drugs, fund Global AIDS programs, and support lifting the federal ban for syringe exchange programs. We know he will step up to the plate and prove himself here as well," said Antonio Davis, ACT UP member. Specter is a key vote to passing health care reform with the public option; we want to support him in doing what is most needed for his constituents and for the country.
ACT UP has a history of performing civil disobedience for health care access. We rely on factual public debate that does not suppress other people's voices, and that allows for the democratic input of all affected citizens. We resoundingly denounce the town-hall disruptors, especially those who have gone after Senator Specter in the past weeks. The anti-democratic nature of their disruptions is clear. Their actions are designed to intimidate, not create, discussion; their "movement" is underwritten or endorsed by corporate interests; and their disruptions are based on misperceptions and distortions of the truth. They have proven that they do not want a debate: they want to kill the debate, and thus kill health care reform, rather than address our national need to increase coverage, access and quality, and reduce costs. Our stance is clear: either our country takes measures to end health disparities and exorbitant costs, or we give in to a for-profit health care model in which only those who can afford it get adequate care.
ACT UP Philadelphia is an activist organization led by and for people living with HIV/AIDS. Since 1988, ACT UP has been a preeminent grassroots activist group calling for funding for effective prevention, treatment and care services for people living with and at risk for HIV.
Health disparities, or lack of access to health resources based on race, economic status, gender, and sexual orientation, are astonishingly common. One recent report by the Black AIDS Institute concluded: "HIV-related health disparities between whites and Blacks have actually widened as medical advances have made HIV treatable...Meanwhile, Blacks are eight times more likely than whites to become newly infected with HIV" (Left Behind. Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global AIDS Epidemic).
Philadelphia, in particular, suffers from one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the country. HIV disproportionately impacts Black, Latino, low-income, MSM (men who have sex with men), transgender, and injecting drug user populations. These populations face discrimination, stigma, and lack of access to adequate health care, especially preventative and primary care services. ACT UP demands health care reform that addresses these disparities. ACT UP also sees an opportunity to address HIV prevention in a more systemic way. "Regular, reliable health care will give more people access to lifesaving health information. A lot of people get HIV because they don't know how to prevent it. Seeing a doctor regularly will allow people to get educated about the risks they face" said Paul Yabor, ACT UP member.
"Senator Specter has proven himself to be an ally in the past. He has worked to decrease costs of HIV drugs, fund Global AIDS programs, and support lifting the federal ban for syringe exchange programs. We know he will step up to the plate and prove himself here as well," said Antonio Davis, ACT UP member. Specter is a key vote to passing health care reform with the public option; we want to support him in doing what is most needed for his constituents and for the country.
ACT UP has a history of performing civil disobedience for health care access. We rely on factual public debate that does not suppress other people's voices, and that allows for the democratic input of all affected citizens. We resoundingly denounce the town-hall disruptors, especially those who have gone after Senator Specter in the past weeks. The anti-democratic nature of their disruptions is clear. Their actions are designed to intimidate, not create, discussion; their "movement" is underwritten or endorsed by corporate interests; and their disruptions are based on misperceptions and distortions of the truth. They have proven that they do not want a debate: they want to kill the debate, and thus kill health care reform, rather than address our national need to increase coverage, access and quality, and reduce costs. Our stance is clear: either our country takes measures to end health disparities and exorbitant costs, or we give in to a for-profit health care model in which only those who can afford it get adequate care.
ACT UP Philadelphia is an activist organization led by and for people living with HIV/AIDS. Since 1988, ACT UP has been a preeminent grassroots activist group calling for funding for effective prevention, treatment and care services for people living with and at risk for HIV.
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