Health Care

Rising costs, federal changes squeeze state AIDS drug assistance programs

They help pay for expensive medications for low-income people without adequate health insurance.
In this May 10, 2012, file photo, a doctor holds Truvada pills in her office in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Escalating budget pressures are imperiling state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs that help the increasing number of people living with the disease.

Flatlined federal funding, rising costs and a series of federal policy changes expected to increase the ranks of uninsured are contributing to the issue. At least 19 state programs have reported budget deficits for the current fiscal year, driven largely by the increased expense of helping their clients fill their prescriptions and pay health insurance premiums. 

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