On April 14, the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIMV), along with other members of the Emergency HIV Clinical Response Task Force (the Task Force), released updated data quantifying the scope and nature of HIV service disruptions resulting from harmful policy and funding decisions. The findings from the survey lay bare the dangerous barriers to care facing patients and underscore significant strain in the HIV response in the United States.
“Frontline HIV providers have spoken and they are incredibly concerned about the impacts of funding cuts to HIV prevention and care,” says Bruce J. Packett, II, Executive Director of the American Academy of HIV Medicine. “Clinicians are seeing firsthand the harm patients have endured as the result of the Trump Administration’s misguided health care policies. Many of these same clinicians experienced the early days of the epidemic and know how many lives will be unnecessarily lost without immediate action.”
Of the respondents who heard from patients about specific barriers to remaining engaged in care, 61 percent of patients cite loss of insurance coverage, noting Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) concerns and Medicaid enrollment challenges. Other federal policy changes outside of health policy also have had downstream effects on care. Patients cited housing instability, recent food insecurity, employment challenges, and increases in transportation costs as additional barriers to care. Survey respondents also note the effects of immigration policies and treatment of immigrants, with 38 percent citing service disruptions for immigrants and undocumented individuals.
“In the absence of true public health leadership, it is now up to us to monitor the strains on clinicians and patients and to address challenges in real time,” says Packett. “Not long ago, we were close to ending the HIV epidemic in this country. Now, we are at risk of moving backward. The Academy and our members are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that does not happen.”
Addressing these disruptions is imperative to safeguarding lives and decades of progress in the U.S. HIV response. The Academy calls on Congress to fully fund federal HIV programs, including the Ryan White Program, critical prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and crucial research at the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, we ask Congress and the Administration to pursue policies that further the promise of ending HIV in the U.S. in the near future and support a robust and well-trained HIV workforce.
