On Tuesday, November 19, the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (DCHBX) Executive Board voted unanimously to make the treatment and long-term management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) free for DC residents and employees of DC employers enrolled in DC Health Link’s Essential Plans.
Making primary care for HIV free will improve health outcomes. HIV disproportionally impacts communities of color. Approximately 71% of the people living with HIV in DC are Black and 8% are Latino. Moreover, Black people with HIV face disparities in access to care and health outcomes. Nationwide, at the end of 2022, only 64% of the Black population with HIV was linked to care and 53% were virally suppressed, meaning their HIV was suppressed through treatment. In contrast, 70% of the White population with HIV was linked to care and 63% were virally suppressed.
Whitman-Walker Institute’s Senior Policy Analyst Lienna Feleke Eshete and Executive Director Dr. Kellan Baker were directly responsible for navigating the DCHBX team to this final conclusion that will support health equity for ALL of DC residents.
Read full press release here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DC-Health-Link-Makes-Care-for-People-Living-with-HIV-Free_Final.pdf
