For the first time in its history, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) filed an amicus brief today with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of State of Florida, et al. v. Department of Health and Human Services, et al. NMAC is joined in its brief by four leading national HIV/AIDS organizations, amFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research; HIV Medicine Association; National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors; and the Treatment Access Expansion Project.
In its brief, NMAC urges the Court to uphold the Medicaid expansion included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which would eliminate current disability requirements and expand eligibility to all citizens making up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Currently, low-income individuals living with HIV are not eligible for Medicaid until they are disabled by an AIDS diagnosis. The expansion included in the ACA will provide access to healthcare for thousands of individuals living with HIV, as well as make huge strides in combating the spread of the epidemic.
See
nmac.org/images/NMAC_ACA_AmicusBrief.pdf.