Barriers to Care for Persons Living With HIV Post Affordable Care Act Implementation in Northern Indiana

Through the lens of the Affordable Care Act, this phenomenological study qualitatively examined barriers to care for persons living with HIV (PLWH). Study participants (n=6) were PLWH who experienced at least a six month “gap in care” despite having or being eligible for insurance. The data demonstrates a minimization of traditional barriers to care and the emergence of two modern barriers. The complexity of the health insurance system and the lack of recognition of a gap in care have barred the participants from accessing consistent HIV care and as a result the virus remains transmissible for 80% of the participants. These results led researchers to recommend care coordination shift to a system where HIV is managed as a chronic disease with a focus on improving health literacy through education on viral suppression, continuity of care, and navigation of the health insurance systems.