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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Over 1.2 million people living in the United
3States are infected with HIV, and one in eight is unaware of
4the infection; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Significant advances in antiretroviral therapy
6(ART) for HIV have made it possible to reduce transmission
7rates, avoid over 862,000 premature deaths, gain over 27
8million life-years, and gain $615 billion in economic value
9over the cost of HIV treatment in the United States alone; and
 
10    WHEREAS, A 2011 clinical study from the National Institutes
11of Health found that treating HIV-positive people with ART
12reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to HIV-negative
13sexual partners by 96% from the start of treatment; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act
15has played a critical role in decreasing the number of
16uninsured, particularly for people living with HIV; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Viral load suppression saves state Medicaid
18programs an estimated $1 million per treated patient by
19preventing transmissions; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Viral load suppression not only improves

 

 

HR0812- 2 -LRB100 18783 MST 34019 r

1individual health, but it all also reduces HIV transmission on
2a population level; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The HIV Health Improvement Affinity Group
4(HHIAG), a joint initiative between the Centers for Medicare
5and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and
6Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services
7Administration, offers federal support for state-level efforts
8to improve rates of sustained viral load suppression among
9Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollees who
10are living with HIV; and
 
11    WHEREAS, States that participate in the HHIAG benefit from
12direct technical assistance to develop and implement a viral
13load suppression improvement plan and leverage best practices
14to improve state viral load suppression rates; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
17recognize the critical importance that viral load suppression
18plays in improving health outcomes and reducing HIV
19transmission.