It is estimated that there are currently 27,420 people living with HIV in Ontario (AS PER ACT WEBSITE).

In Ontario, People that do not qualify for Ontario Disability Benefit (ODB), and live with HIV must pay for their medication.

The assistance program in place for these persons is called Trillium Drug Benefit program (TDB),

TDB requires a deductible be met, which is 4% of the patient’s annual income (T4 Earnings).

The deductible is divided into quarters over the course of the year.

This cost can still be quite hefty, and if you are a single person household it can cause quite the financial burden.

If a person is employed and has HIV, their work benefits, if they have any - might cover some of the cost, the remainder that usually ranges in the hundreds will be covered directly by the patient.

The pharmacy cannot process both drug plans (work and TDB), They will first charge the work benefit carrier, and the remaining balance will be charged to the patient, and the patient must submit the receipts by mail to TDB, and wait for them to issue your refund cheque by mail.

Example:

I submit my receipts by mail immediately after getting them March 20th, Trillium issues their printed summary report April 3rd, and on the report it says that payment will be issued April 30th, next you have to wait for the mail to come.

That's quite a long time to wait for your money to be returned especially if you pay by credit card - interest charges add up quickly.

Now comes the tough part...If you make too much money as far as the government is concerned, some people can't even qualify for TDB.

If you do not qualify for TDB, you must pay for your drugs yourself.

Did you know: Patients in the provinces of B.C. and QC receive their medication for free, it is fully covered by the province. Regardless if you are working or not there are no differentiation between who gets help, and who does not.

Why should a person go broke trying to stay healthy? This system is flawed.

It's time we ask the Ontario Government to change its policy to help HIV persons live a life free of financial burden.

I urge everyone to sign the petition, and share it with at least two friends.

We'd love to hear your story/reason for signing (if you have one)

If you have comments, or you think that you can help this petition to make it better - - please contact me on facebook.