ABSTRACT
On March 10, 1987, author and playwright Larry Kramer was invited to speak at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in New York City because of his reputation as an outspoken critic of the government, the media, the medical establishment, and even the gay community for their response to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Kramer brought his characteristic stridency to his speech. He spoke about the type of care people with AIDS could expect to receive in the United States. Kramer had recently returned from Houston, Texas, where he had met with Dr. Peter Mansell, who ran the Institute for Immunological Disorders, a hospital especially for people with AIDS that has since closed. Kramer told his audience about some of the problems Mansell and others faced in trying to treat people with AIDS. According to Kramer, for example, Mansell had discovered that many complications associated with AIDS were better treated at significantly reduced cost at home. The only problem, according to Mansell, was that most insurance companies do not pay for home care and outpatient treatment. “The very insurance companies that are threatening to take away our insurance because we cost them too much won’t pay for cheaper treatment,” observed Kramer. “That doesn’t make much sense, does it?” (Kramer, 1989, p. 130).
