In This Issue

"First, they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—

Welcome to the first 2017 issue of the Black AIDS Weekly.

As we commemorate National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a lot has happened since we published the previous issue of this newsletter. Chief among them is the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States. Mr. Trump has wasted no time in implementing his agenda. All the evidence points to reason for many Americans to be concerned, as evidenced by the many protests, demonstrations, and judicial rulings that have taken place over the last few weeks.

Too many things are going on to list each of them in this column. But certainly, no matter who you are, no matter what your country of origin, no matter your religion, we must stand up against the discrimination that is embodied by things like the recent Executive Order to ban Muslims from seven nations and refugees from entering our country.

We must speak out now because it's the right thing to do, and if that is not sufficient motivation—and I hope that it is—we must speak out now for our own safety.

For those of us who are living with HIV, or at risk for infection, or working in the HIV/AIDS space, we should know that "They have already come". On Day One of this new administration, the White House website was scrubbed of all information about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), and all information about the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). Many of our programs are designed to be in alignment with the NHAS. The question is: Do we currently have a NHAS and, if not, what are we in alignment with?

Leadership matters. Will the new president appoint a new director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, or will ONAP exist? Having an HIV/AIDS champion in the White House is critical.

Obviously, the biggest threat to our efforts to end the AIDS epidemic is the attack on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Let's be clear: The repeal of the ACA eliminates the possibility of ending the AIDS epidemic. Full stop. Ending the AIDS epidemic requires that people living with HIV and people at risk for HIV infection have access to treatment and care—and that treatment and care cannot be interrupted.

Already, we see people in a panic because they're not even sure if they still have insurance. So, let's break it down. Here are seven things that the ACA does that, if they go away, will make it impossible to end the AIDS epidemic.

1. Financial subsidies to help people afford health insurance;
2. The protections for people with pre-existing conditions;
3. The elimination of lifetime caps;
4. The elimination of annual caps;
5. The portability of your insurance;
6. Essential services, including HIV care and treatment;
7. The ability for young people to stay on their parents' insurance policy up to age 26.

The ACA expands access to healthcare, and dramatically improve the lives of people living with or at risk for HIV. The stripping away of these protections and the literal withdrawal of access to healthcare will undermine our efforts to end the AIDS epidemic. And let's not be fooled by the language around what the administration and Republicans in Congress are calling "replacing" the ACA. The only proposal currently on the table is a tax break on health savings accounts (HSAs).

This is what that means: If you are wealthy enough to have enough discretionary income to save for health expenses, you'll get a tax break on those savings accounts. If on the other hand, you are like the vast majority of Americans who receive their healthcare thru the ACA exchanges, you are poor and don't have "discretionary income", you are just out of luck. This is insane! People most in need of the Affordable Care Act are generally not wealthy enough to have health savings accounts. They don't need tax breaks—what they need is health care!

In addition, for the vast majority of us, even if we could have an HSA, what we could save would probably not even cover the medications—let alone the health visits, the labs, the potential catastrophic illnesses, or the hospital stays. Imagine what would happen to your personal finances if, instead of just paying the $5, or $10, or $15, or even $20 copay, you had to pay for whatever prescriptions you are on—the $100, $200, $500 or maybe even $1000 each time you fill a prescription—and the full cost of each doctor's visit, and the full cost of each lab test you need.

We're going to have to fight this with everything we've got, and on every front. We are going to need to be in the streets; we are going to need to write letters; we are going to need to make telephone calls and send emails. But most importantly, we should not forget that elections have consequences. We need to make sure that we're organizing in ways that will effectively change how policies are made and implemented. Everyone in our social, professional, and personal networks must be organizing, educating and registering people to vote. And we must vote at every election on every issue. These things are connected.

We are where we are only in part due to what happened in November of 2016. We are where we are now in part because we have been consistently AWOL during mid-term elections; because we don't pay attention to the school board race, or the ballot initiative, or the sheriff's race, or the race for the insurance commissioner. We must be vigilant on the municipal, county, state, and federal levels.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, start there. Do something and say something. During these uncertain times, our actions matter. It is not good enough to sit back and blame our reality on what Mr. Trump and the new administration do, or do not do. We need to make sure that our voices are heard and that we put pressure on all the levers of power to make sure that America reflects our values.

And never forget, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."—Edmund Burke.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill