The City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission has issued a scathing rebuke of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s recent decision to slash funding for HIV care and prevention programs. In a statement released October 22, the Commission condemned the cuts as “a betrayal of both memory and humanity,” citing deep concern for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
In September, as QBurgh previously reported, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced a 25% reduction to Ryan White Part B contracts, alongside a tightening of eligibility requirements for the Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program (SPBP), which helps cover the cost of HIV medication for those without full insurance coverage.
Under the new guidelines, individuals earning just over $51,000 annually are now deemed ineligible for assistance, despite HIV medications often costing between $2,000 and $4,000 per month without help.
“This change will strip coverage from roughly 16 percent of Pennsylvanians who rely on SPBP,” the Commission wrote. “While the 25 percent funding reduction is already forcing providers to scale back services.”
The funding cuts have already had real, devastating consequences. Allies for Health + Wellbeing, one of Western PA’s most trusted HIV service organizations, lost $800,000 from its budget. That loss shuttered Project Silk, a long-standing early intervention and prevention program focused on LGBTQ+ youth, particularly queer and trans youth of color.
“We greatly appreciate the commitment demonstrated by the Project Silk staff and truly valued their work,” said Allies CEO Mary Bockovich, noting that three staff positions were eliminated as a result.
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Shepherd Wellness Community (SWC) is also facing a $70,000 budget cut. Known for its holistic care, offering meals, wellness programming, and social support for people living with HIV. SWC has vowed to maintain services, but acknowledged the stress the changes will place on members.
“This is distressing,” wrote Executive Director Richard Krug, “with a negative impact for any number of our members.”
The Department of Health cited shrinking revenue from the 340B Drug Pricing Program, a federal rebate system designed to help clinics stretch resources, as justification for the cuts.
The Commission argues that Pennsylvania is penalizing programs for succeeding. As more people access care through SPBP (a good thing), fewer prescriptions pass through private insurance, meaning fewer inflated reimbursements and lower 340B revenue. The result? Less money for the very clinics keeping people alive.
“If that sounds like a precarious way to fund lifesaving care, it is,” the statement reads. “Infirmity doesn’t wait for Wall Street or insurance reimbursements to stabilize.”
The Commission pointed to other Northeastern states, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Connecticut, which have chosen to maintain or increase their investments in HIV care. Pennsylvania, by contrast, has embraced what the Commission calls “austerity,” despite having the sixth-largest economy in the U.S.
“Federal HIV funding has not been reduced,” they noted. “Pennsylvania could have chosen to protect these programs through state appropriations. Instead, Harrisburg has embraced austerity, leaving working people with HIV to bear the consequences of an inequitable funding system.”
In correspondence with the Commission, the Department of Health claimed that Pennsylvania’s Ryan White and SPBP programs are still funded “well above the federal grant amount.” While technically true, the Commission says that comparing Pennsylvania to less populous, less wealthy states is misleading.
“Pennsylvania ranks 20th in the nation for new HIV diagnoses per capita and has the fifth-largest population and sixth-largest economy,” the Commission’s statement reads. “Presenting the program as ‘better funded than most’ obscures the reality that the Commonwealth is comparing itself to states with far fewer people and far fewer resources.”
The Commission’s statement ends with a somber reminder of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, when tens of thousands died due to government inaction.
“To withdraw care now, with full knowledge of that history, is a betrayal of both memory and humanity,” the Commission wrote. “We remember what happens when indifference replaces compassion, and we refuse to watch that history repeat itself in Pennsylvania.”
Full statement of the City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA Commission:
