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Posted
July 09, 2010

1,000 Ohio HIV/AIDS patients lose drug benefits

About 1,000 HIV/AIDS patients who had been eligible for free medication from the state are set to lose their benefits (Source: “More than 1,000 HIV/AIDS patients across Ohio to lose benefits,” Cleveland Plain-Dealer, July 5, 2010).

Ohio’s Ryan White program has seen the number HIV/AIDS patients earning less than 500 percent of the Federal Poverty level receiving free medication increase from 1,962 in 2005 to 4,384 last year. Meanwhile, state and federal funding for the program has remained steady during that time.

Officials with the program say the combination of increased demand from services, which they attribute to increased unemployment, combined with rising drug costs made the cutback necessary.

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