According to Southern AIDS Coalition executive Director, Rainey Campbell, the US Southern states now have the most documented cases of HIV across the country, including the highest rate of people who are being diagnosed with HIV or AIDS as well as having the most number of people that die from these diseases. In fact, 50% of all HIV cases in the United States are from the south, with African-American patients accounting for over 80% of the statistic for new female cases of HIV.
Unlike other states in the country, patients who are living with HIV in the south are receiving the least comprehensive Medicaid programs while also having to undergo the strictest eligibility qualifications to receive assistance. Dir. Campbell says that this is one of the predominant reasons why HIV or AIDS patients in these parts are having a hard time getting access to proper care options. In the south, he says, most of the people who are living with these fatal conditions often have to reach "disability status" before they are even entitled to aid.
The Southern AIDS Coalition has just recently released statistical data showing how the highest HIV fatality rates in the country as of late are from the deep Southern states including Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. However, despite the current situation comedies states have opted to refuse the proposition to expand Medicaid services under the Affordable Care Act. The Coalition says that this raises alarming consequences because people who do not have health coverage or access to Medicaid are most likely not going to pursue paid primary care, nor willingly get tested for HIV, which could lead to many undiagnosed cases of the disease that, in turn, will result to more people getting infected in the long run.
