North Carolina: HIV Program Caps Enrollment

On Friday, North Carolina's AIDS Drug Assistance Program stopped enrolling new patients, the result of state budget cuts and a dramatic spike in residents seeking assistance. Last year, state legislators allocated $11 million for ADAP, approximately half of its previous budget, said Jacquelyn Clymore, head of North Carolina's HIV/STD Prevention and Care branch.

The economy has pushed more people in need of AIDS treatment to seek it from the state. Last month, North Carolina's unemployment rate hit a record 11.2 percent. As a result, many residents have lost employer-supported health insurance.

"You don't want people who are currently on medications to lose that access," Clymore said.

North Carolina ADAP's total enrollment has shot from about 4,000 low-income patients this time last year to about 4,400 today, Clymore said. "The economic challenges are immense," she said, noting that nine other state ADAPs also have capped enrollment. "This is by no means the only state having this experience." In 2008, more than 23,000 state residents had HIV/AIDS.

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