HealthHIV
NEWS RELEASE

Statement on Senate Bill Jeopardizing HIV Services and Calling for House to Act

WASHINGTON, DC, July 1, 2025 – HealthHIV strongly opposes the Senate-passed reconciliation bill, which would eliminate Medicaid coverage for millions, destabilize HIV care systems, and unravel the very infrastructure meant to support public health in America. This legislation does not reform—it retreats and reverses decades of progress, strips access from more than 17 million people, and severely undermines national efforts to end the HIV epidemic.

“Programs like Medicaid aren’t line items in a budget, they’re the backbone of care in this country,” said HealthHIV Director of Advocacy Scott Bertani. “They’re not just safety nets, they’re launch pads for HIV innovation in prevention and treatment, and for long-term health. Gutting them to finance tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans is reckless and deeply inequitable.”

The bill imposes unnecessary red tape and punitive work requirements that will hit those most impacted by systemic barriers hardest—including Black and Brown communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Older Adults living with HIV. With more than 40% of people with HIV relying on Medicaid, this bill would not just disrupt care, it will derail lives.

HealthHIV calls on the House to reject this dangerous legislation and defend the basic principle that health care is a public good, not a bargaining chip.

  • Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office. You can call both their D.C. and district offices.
  • Be brief, clear, and personal: Give your name, ZIP code, and a short message—like “I’m calling to urge you to vote NO on the reconciliation bill that cuts Medicaid and puts HIV care at risk.”
  • Calls are logged and counted—even short ones. What matters most is volume from actual constituents. Your 30 seconds can make a difference.

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About HealthHIV

HealthHIV is a national non-profit working with healthcare organizations, communities, and providers to improve HIV, HCV, STI, and LGBTQ healthcare and advance harm reduction and health equity through education and training, technical assistance and capacity building, advocacy, communications, and health services research and evaluation. 

HealthHIV leads the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health, HealthHCV, the Harm Reduction Learning Institute, the Pozitively Aging with HIV National Resource Center, and the National HIV E-Learning Training Center for the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention. They offer a variety of accredited medical education activities addressing HIV prevention, care, and treatment, including the HealthHIV HIV Treatment Innovation Certificate Program. They lead the first and only national programs offering certification of the HIV prevention workforce through the HealthHIV HIV Prevention Certified Provider™ Certification Program (HIVPCP) and the HealthHIV HIV PrEP Navigation Certification™ Program (HIVPNC).  Learn more at healthhiv.org.