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What about the toxoplasmosis drug whose price just shot up a zillion percent? The mainstream is all over this example of capitalism gone wrong, but no mention here. Seems like every time Truvada use faces a barrier, POZ is all over it with a letter writing campaign or some other heroic measure. When it actually comes to advocating for healthcare for people with HIV, there's a conspicuous absence of concern. Maybe Poz should change its name to "Truvada Monthly" to reflect its actual priority.
Why should we care? He's not suing because of HIV discrimination-he's suing because he's being treated like someone who has HIV. I've read reports where he even makes a point of differentiating himself as not having HIV. This isn't helpful for poz people, it just affirms our second class status. This seems like another instance of a negative gay man mortified by the insinuation that he's at risk for HIV, wanting to be "normal", unconcerned with actual accommodation for people with have HIV.
I also wish JD the best. I'm no lawyer here either, so I'm not sure of the public accommodation/discrimination particulars or insurance law of MA. However, JD *is* a lawyer and GLAAD cherry picks its cases (and for good reason, setting precedent). Indeed, its argument is that his use of the drug, by definition (due to its demonstrated HIV transmission lowering probability of more than 90% in clinical and real-world settings), puts him at low risk for acquiring HIV... Thus GLAAD's "nonsencical."
I wish John Doe the best. I'm concerned about his lawyer's strategy. I don't know that Long Term Care insurance meets the definition of a "public accommodation". Insurance companies sell these policies in order to make money. They make money by selling these policies to individuals who are low risk of actually needing long term care in the future. I'm not saying it's right, I'm saying it is the way the world works. I wish John Doe the best.
POZ Staff
Michael - Here is a link to coverage of the toxoplasmosis drug price hike - www.poz.com/articles/pill_price_hike_1_27829.shtml
September 22, 2015