President Barack Obama on Tuesday
reiterated his pledge to achieve an AIDS-free generation.
The president delivered his remarks at
a White House event to mark World AIDS Day, which took place on
Sunday. Obama's remarks also touched on the Affordable Care Act
(ACA), also known as Obamacare.
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act
millions of insured Americans will be able to get tested free of
charge,” Obama said. “Americans will now have access to
affordable health care coverage. And beginning in January, no
American will be again denied health insurance because of their HIV
status.”
Obama also pledged $100 million to fund
a new National Institutes of Health initiative aimed at combating the
epidemic.
The president's complete remarks are
below:
“I should say, actually, welcome
back, because many of you have joined us before as we’ve marked new
milestones in our fight against HIV and AIDS. And I’m honored that
you could join us in commemorating World AIDS Day, which was
yesterday. And this is a time for remembering the friends and loved
ones that we’ve lost, celebrating the extraordinary progress –
thanks to some people in this room – that we’ve been able to
make, and most importantly, recommitting ourselves to the mission
that we share, which is achieving an AIDS-free generation.”
“I especially want to welcome
ministers from our partner countries; members of my administration,
including Secretary Sebelius, Secretary John Kerry; Congresswoman
Barbara Lee; Mark Dybul from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria. And we’ve also got here Francis Collins
from the National Institutes of Health; Michel Sidibe from UN-AIDS;
Deborah von Zinkernagel, who’s carrying on the great work of Eric
Goosby as our Acting Global AIDS Coordinator; and our many friends
from the philanthropic world, including Bill Gates. So thank you all
for joining us here today.”
“Every year, this is a moment to
reflect on how far we’ve come since the early days of the AIDS
epidemic. And those of you who lived through it remember all too
well the fear and the stigma, and how hard people with HIV had to
fight to be seen, or heard, or to be treated with basic compassion.
And you remember how little we knew about how to prevent AIDS, or how
to treat it. What we did know was the devastation that it inflicted
-- striking down vibrant men and women in the prime of their lives
and spreading from city to city and country to country seemingly
overnight.”
“Today, that picture is transformed.
Thanks to the courage and love of so many of you in this room and
around the world, awareness has soared; research has surged.
Prevention, treatment and care are now saving millions of lives not
only in the world’s richest countries but in some of the world‘s
poorest countries as well. And for many, with testing and access to
the right treatment, the disease that was once a death sentence now
comes with a good chance at a healthy and productive life. And
that's an extraordinary achievement.”
“As President, I’ve told you that
in this fight, you’ll have a partner in me. And I said that if the
United States wanted to be the global leader in combating this
disease, then we needed to act like it -- by doing our part and by
leading the world to do more together. And that’s what we’ve
done, in partnership with so many of you. We created the first
comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, rooted in a simple vision
that every person should get access to life-extending care,
regardless of age or gender, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation,
gender identity or socio-economic status.”
“We’ve continued to support the
Ryan White CARE Act to help underserved communities, and we lifted
the entry ban so that people with HIV are no longer barred from the
United States – which led to the International AIDS Conference
being held here last year for the very first time in over 20 years.”
“This summer, I issued an executive
order creating the HIV Care Continuum Initiative to boost our federal
efforts to prevent and treat HIV. Last month, I signed the HIV Organ
Policy Equity Act, to finally allow research into organ donations
between people with HIV – a step achieved with bipartisan support.”
“And thanks to the Affordable Care
Act, millions of insured Americans will be able to get tested free of
charge. Americans who were uninsured will now be able to have access
to affordable health care coverage, and beginning in January, no
American will be again denied health insurance because of their HIV
status.”
“On World AIDS Day two years ago, I
announced an additional $35 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance
Program, which helps people pay for lifesaving medications. At one
time, the need was so great that over 9,000 people were on the
waitlist. We vowed to get those numbers down. And I’m proud to
announce that, as of last week, we have cleared that waitlist. We
are down to zero. And we’re going to keep working to keep it
down.”
“So we’re making progress. But
we’re all here today because we know how much work remains to be
done. Here in the United States, we need to keep focusing on
investments to communities that are still being hit hardest,
including gay and bisexual men, African Americans and Latinos. We
need to keep up the fight in our cities – including Washington,
D.C., which in recent years has reduced diagnosed infections by
nearly half.”
“And we’re going to keep pursuing
scientific breakthroughs. Today I’m pleased to announce a new
initiative at the National Institutes of Health to advance research
into an HIV cure. We’re going to redirect $100 million into this
project to develop a new generation of therapies. Because the United
States should be at the forefront of new discoveries into how to put
HIV into long-term remission without requiring lifelong therapies –
or, better yet, eliminate it completely.”
“And of course, this fight extends
far beyond our borders. When I became President, I inherited
President Bush’s phenomenal program, PEPFAR, which has helped
millions around the world receive lifesaving treatment. And we
haven’t just sustained those efforts, we’ve expanded them –
reaching and serving even more people, especially mothers and
children. Earlier this year, PEPFAR reached a wonderful milestone –
the one millionth baby born without HIV. And that alongside the
rapid decline in new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS in
sub-Saharan Africa.”
“On my visit to South Africa this
year, I visited a clinic run by Bishop Desmond Tutu and had the honor
of spending time with some of their extraordinary young patients and
counselors and outreach workers and doctors. Every day, they are
doing extraordinary work. And when you visit this facility, you
cannot help but be inspired by what they do each and every day, in
part thanks to the support of the United States of America. They’re
saving lives and they’re changing the way their country, and the
world, approaches this disease. And that’s work that we have to
continue to advance.”
“On World AIDS Day two years ago, I
set new prevention and treatment targets for PEPFAR, like increasing
the number of mothers we reach so that we prevent their children from
becoming infected, and helping 6 million people get treatment by the
end of 2013. Today, I’m proud to announce that we’ve not only
reached our goal, we’ve exceeded our treatment target. So we’ve
helped 6.7 million people receive lifesaving treatment. And we’re
going to keep at it. Which is why, after I leave here today, I’ll
be proud to sign the PEPFAR Stewardship and Oversight Act, to keep
this program going strong. Count on the legislator to applaud
legislation.”
“Looking ahead, it’s time for the
world to come together to set new goals. Right now we’re working
hard to get a permanent leader in place at PEPFAR, and once we do,
one of our first items of business will be convening a meeting early
next year, so the United States and our partners worldwide –
including governments, the Global Fund, U.N.-AIDS, and civil society
– can sit around one table and develop joint HIV prevention and
treatment goals for the countries where we and the Global Fund do
business. We’ll hold each other accountable, and we’ll continue
to work to turn the tide of this epidemic together.”
“And that includes keeping up our
support for the Global Fund. Its success speaks for itself. It’s
helping over 6 million people in over 140 countries receive
antiretroviral therapy. And now it’s time to replenish the Fund.
The United States will contribute $1 for every $2 pledged by other
donors over the next three years, up to $5 billion total from the
United States. And the United Kingdom has made a similar promise.”
“So today I want to urge all those
who are attending the Global Fund’s replenishment meetings both
today and tomorrow to take up this commitment. Don’t leave our
money on the table. It’s been inspiring to see the countries most
affected by this disease vastly increase their own contributions to
this fight – in some cases, providing more than donor countries do.
And that ought to inspire all of us to give more, to do more, so we
can save more lives.”
“After all, none of the progress
we’ve made against AIDS could have been achieved by a single
government or foundation or corporation working alone. It’s the
result of countless people – including so many of you – working
together from countries large and small, philanthropies,
universities, media, civil society, activists. More than anything, I
think it’s thanks to the courageous people living with HIV around
the world who’ve shared their stories; you’ve lent your strength,
demanded your dignity be recognized, and led the fight to spare
others the anguish of this disease.”
“We can’t change the past or undo
its wrenching pain. But what we can do – and what we have to do –
is to chart a different future, guided by our love for those we
couldn’t save. That allows us to do everything we can, everything
in our power to save those that we can. And that’s my commitment
to you as President.”
“The United States of America will
remain the global leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS. We will
stand with you every step of this journey until we reach the day that
we know is possible, when all men and women can protect themselves
from infection; a day when all people with HIV have access to the
treatments that extend their lives; the day when there are no babies
being born with HIV or AIDS, and when we achieve, at long last, what
was once hard to imagine – and that’s an AIDS-free generation.”
“That’s the world I want for my
daughters. That’s the world that all of us want for our families.
And if we stay focused, if we keep fighting, and if we honor the
memory of those that we’ve lost, if we summon the same courage that
they displayed, by insisting on whatever it takes, however long it
takes, I believe we’re going to win this fight. And I’m
confident that we’ll do so together.”
“So thank you very much for your
extraordinary efforts. Appreciate it. God bless you. Thank you.”