AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP)
The AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP) is a statewide program for persons who are diagnosed with AIDS or are HIV positive with symptoms and who, because of their illness, are unable to maintain their private health insurance coverage. The program makes direct payments (up to $750/month) to each client’s employer or insurance company for the continuation of medical, dental, mental health and optical coverage. The AICP does not pay for disability or life insurance. The AICP will also pay any fees associated with conversion of a COBRA policy to an individual policy or policy upgrades. The program will also pay client co-payments and deductibles on an as-needed basis.
The AICP is funded by Florida’s Department of Health through a combination of federal and state monies. The overall program is managed by the Health Council of South Florida (Miami). It is administered through local community-based organizations (CBOs), including the Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida.
The AICP benefits participants, health care providers and the government. Participants are able to remain under the care of their doctors without worrying that they will be forced to accept alternative coverage, such as Medicaid. Also, since AICP clients retain their private insurance, they generally have greater access to various HIV/AIDS treatments. Providers such as doctors and hospitals also benefit from the AICP because private health insurance companies tend to offer higher payment rates than public programs. The government and taxpayers achieve savings as a result of the AICP because insurance companies continue to pay for actual health care and treatment, while the program pays for each AICP client^s insurance premium. This relieves the public from paying the full cost of HIV/AIDS care.