Public Financing and Delivery of HIV/AIDS Care

Each year it is estimated that approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. arenewly infected with HIV. In the late 1990s, the number of deaths fromAIDS dropped 43% as a result of highly active antiretroviral therapy.Unfortunately, the complex system currently in place for financing anddelivering publicly financed HIV care undermines the significant advancesthat have been made in the development of new technologies to treat it.Many HIV patients experience delays in access to other services that wouldsupport adhering to treatment. As a result, each year opportunities aremissed that could reduce the mortality, morbidity, and disability sufferedby individuals with HIV infections.

Public Financing and Delivery of HIV/AIDS Care examines the current standardof care for HIV patients and assesses the extent the system currentlyused for financing and delivering care allows individuals with HIV to actuallyreceive it. The book recommends an expanded federal program for thetreatment of individuals with HIV, administered at the state level. This programwould provide timely access and consistent benefits with a strongfocus on comprehensive and continuous care and access to antiretroviraltherapy. It could help improve the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients, aswell as reduce the number of deaths among those infected.