"Alpha Goodshepherd is worried. HIV positive since 1998, he knows how important it is to take care of his health. Until recently, the 51-year-old Lawrenceville resident took a drug to keep the virus at bay. Now, all he has is an empty pill bottle and a notice -- that his insurance has been canceled. Goodshepherd applied to the Georgia Department of Public Health on May 16 to have his $510 monthly insurance premium paid through a program called the Health Insurance Continuation Program. Although his request was approved, the state didn't mail the check by the payment due date, and Goodshepherd's coverage was dropped. Metro area AIDS activists say it is not an isolated problem." (Joyner, 8/7).

Back to other news for August 2011