AHF applauds Health Insurance Access for HIV+ People in India
Romeo Gangmei *
A painting at the observance of World AIDS Day 2013 on 1st Dec at MFDC Auditorium, Imphal :: Pix - Ashok Ningthoujam
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, celebrates a revolutionary step in reducing HIV stigma in India that also allows Indian citizens living with HIV/AIDS to have increased access to life and health insurance.
The longstanding norm for insurance companies - which has been to expressly exclude people living with HIV from all plans and deny them access to insurance simply based on their HIV status - has been reversed by the country's Department of AIDS Control (DAC) and the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
"This is a time to rejoice," said Dr. V. Sam Prasad, the Clinical Affairs Manager for AHF India. "AHF advocacy demanding health insurance for people living with HIV definitely contributed to this behaviour change. The DAC is now supporting communities by increasing access to health and life insurance."
Last month, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), the national insurance regulation agency, released a circular advertising available insurance plans. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry pointed out that provisions within that draft specifically excluded people living with HIV from accessing life and health insurance, and the DAC quickly ordered IRDA to remove the exclusionary provisions.
AHF India has been extremely vocal about this express denial of life and health insurance for people living with HIV, including hosting meaningful demonstrations such as people pinning notes to the government demanding change on a long red ribbon unfurled along a busy roadway on World AIDS Day (December 1) 2012.
"People living with HIV/AIDS are one of the populations that need access to life and health insurance the most so they have the greatest chance of living well with HIV and also protecting their families' security in the face of a manageable yet serious health condition," said Dr. Nochikita Mohanty, the Country Program Manager for AHF India. "Their condition is just as serious as cancer or diabetes, and patients with HIV/AIDS should have the same rights as people with other serious conditions."
The DAC will employ a group to ensure at least one health plan from each insurance provider is accessible to people living with HIV. Additionally, people living with the virus shall not be excluded from group health insurance plans that are generally offered to employers by insurance companies, and they will also have access to government-funded mass health insurance efforts targeted at low-income communities and other vulnerable societal groups.
People living with HIV in India have gained access to life and health insurance, thanks in part to advocacy efforts by AHF. For information log on at [email protected].
* Romeo Gangmei (a resident of Dimdailong, New Checkon) wrote this article for Hueiyen Lanpao
The writer is working as Programme Officer at SPYM Lead Agency, Manipur under Link Worker Scheme
This article was posted on December 08, 2013.
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