In
Florida, there are over 3,800 people on the state waiting list for
HIV/AIDS drugs. This list, under the federal and state-funded AIDS
Drug Assistance Program, is the largest
in the country. Instead of making more drug assistance available, the
state is looking to cut the eligibility income of individuals from
400 percent of the poverty level to 200 percent. This would push
people making any more than $30,000 a year off the list. The drugs
cost between $10,000 and $20,000 per year.
The
state is in charge of administering the drugs to people on the
waiting list. The increasing number of patients caused a federal
audit that found that while $3.05 million was awarded to take 357
people off the list, the money did not appear on the financial
reports of the agency and no assistance was given out.
As
long as capitalism is the driving force in health care, people will
continue to be deprived of needed care as prices increase.
