8 hivpositivemagazine.com
may assign you a "case manager."
(Some ASOs assign all their clients
a case manager.) If you're coping
well on your own but need a little
help with specific problems, you may
work with a "benefits counselor."
A good case manager or benefits
counselor can be a real financial
life-saver! All the things that seem
so frustrating to you are just "part of
the job" to them. They know how to
fill out the forms. They know who
to call. They know the difference
between how a program is supposed
to work and how it really works.
Finding a good one will make your
life a lot easier!
Here are some of the options avail-
able to you for paying for your HIV
care.
Insurance
The first option for paying for your
HIV-related health care and medi-
cine is health insurance. Previously
and currently, very few people had
health insurance that covered both
their HIV treatment and their HIV
medications. Insurance companies
exclude and put limits on certain ex-
pensive disorders including HIV.
Coming right around the corner
however, in 2014, the Affordable
Care Act (also known as Obam-
aCare) will provide new insurance
coverage for millions of uninsured
Americans. Before the ACA was
signed into law (and upheld by the
Supreme Court last June) insurance
companies could deny coverage to
someone on the basis of pre-existing
conditions like HIV. The Supreme
Court's decision to uphold the
"Individual Mandate" portion of the
ACA was a victory for people living
with HIV who had previously been
shut out of the health insurance
market.
These changes to the health care
system and insurance are compli-
cated, vary state-by-state and will
no doubt have some bumpy roads to
implementation but they should be
worth the troubles. Your local ASO
will have professionals that will be as
knowledgeable as anyone about the
changes so if in doubt, give them a
visit. For more information about
the ACA, check out our article from
October of last year at www.hivpos-
itivemagazine.com/Ask_Anne_Af-
fordable_Care_act.html.
AIDS Drug Assistance Program
ADAP)
If you do not have prescription
coverage and your income is rela-
tively low, you may be able to get
help paying for your medications
through ADAP - the "AIDS Drug
Assistance Program." ADAP is a
federal program, established as part
of the Ryan White CARE Act. But
it is administered by the states, and
funded by both the federal govern-
ment and the states. The drugs the
program covers vary WIDELY
from state-to-state, and so does the
amount of money you can earn and
still qualify for help! Because ADAP