HIV/AIDS disease continues to affect many people in the United States. Apart from the disease being one of the prominent causes of death, it can also destroy livelihoods. For instance, when those who are infected by the disease cannot find proper medication and adequate support, both their immediate and distant dependents will likely be affected, especially if these patients are the breadwinners. According to Avert (2018), as of 2018, more than 1.1 million people in the United States had been infected with HIV/AIDS. Avert (2018) also reports that nearly one in seven of these people were not aware that they had HIV infection. Among those with the highest risk of being infected with HIV in the U.S include African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, transgender people, prisoners, and people who inject themselves with drugs (Avert, 2018). The risks and continued infections of HIV have prompted people in authority as well as relevant agencies to create programs directed at preventing new infections, promoting access to crucial products and services, or generally caring for those infected by the disease.
The purpose of this essay is to discuss and describe several of such policies or programs, and present the best alternative. The policies or programs that form the discussion of this essay include the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the ACA, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (shortened as RWP). Ultimately, the RWP program is found to be the best alternative, especially because of how it is updated or renewed to reflect the changing services needed by people infected with HIV/AIDS.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
PEPFAR
This program was started by President George W. Bush in 2003 with the objective of helping prevent new HIV infections and to care for those already infected around the globe. According to Birx (2020), the government of the United States has spent more than $85 billion through PEPFAR in the world HIV/AIDS initiatives. Such an investment is the largest initiative by any country to address the effects of a single disease in history. PEPFAR is credited with preventing millions of HIV infections, saving more than 18 million lives, and hastening the process towards curbing the world HIV/AIDS epidemic in over 50 countries. Although PEPFAR is a significant program in addressing the effects of HIV and caring for the infected, its scope is quite broad. The program focuses mainly on the globe and not just the U.S. For instance, most efforts have been directed towards reducing the rates of infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the U.S is part of the focus, it only receives a fraction of that focus. Therefore, PEPFAR in its entirety is not quite effective in mitigating the effects of the HIV epidemic in the U.S. Curbing this disease in the U.S and providing specialized care needs a direct focus.
ACA
Before the ACA act was introduced and introduced, less than one in five people living with HIV had private insurance, and approximately 30% did not have any coverage (CDC, 2020). However, after the implementation of ACA, it became one quite significant law in the prevention of HIV/AIDS infections and general care of patients in the history of the U.S. Starting from September, 2010; insurers did not have the power for instance, to deny coverage to children living with HIV. Previously, people with pre-existing health conditions, including those living with HIV/AIDS were denied coverage by insurance companies. However, the ACA developed the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, and many people living with HIV/AIDS have now enrolled in this plan. Therefore, this act was and continues to be crucial in fostering access of people living with HIV/AIDS to quality healthcare services. Nevertheless, this act solely focuses on insurance, and is therefore, not holistic. Some insurance premiums especially for such people with pre-existing conditions are expensive and sometimes unaffordable. People living with HIV may also need other services other than healthcare. For instance, they need proper housing, food, and better employment prospects.
HOPWA Program
This is a Federal program that focuses on addressing the housing needs of people infected with the HIV disease. HUD.gov (n.d) highlights that under this program, the Department of Housing and Urban Development provides funds to States, remote communities, and non-profit agencies for housing projects intended to benefit people with low incomes infected with HIV/AIDS. Proper housing for people with HIV disease in the U.S is particularly important considering that those with the greatest risk of getting infected are the marginalized communities. As previously mentioned, African Americans and Hispanics have the greatest risk, and these groups usually have low incomes. Lack of proper housing for those infected can lead to poor health outcomes, especially if those infected experience depression or if their neighborhoods prevent them from accessing quality healthcare services. Although this program focuses on an essential aspect, it is only one among the many aspects that people living with HIV/AIDS require. Some people may have proper housing but experience difficulties accessing essential healthcare services.
ADA
Although the ADA mainly directs its attention towards people living with different physical and mental impairments, the act also has a broad scope and protects persons living with HIV/AIDS as well. According to ADA.gov (n.d), people with HIV/AIDS whether asymptomatic or symptomatic, have physical impairments, which may considerably limit one or several major life activities. Additionally, the act protects such individuals from discrimination based on their status. For instance, the act prohibits employers from excluding against people infected with HIV disease in recruitment, remuneration, and all other employment benefits. In essence, this act helps to curb stigmatization and the notion that people infected with HIV/AIDS cannot work or do not have the ability to perform any functions like everybody else. It is also an important act in ensuring that people living with HIV have better economic outcomes and can provide for themselves as well as their families. Nevertheless, just like the other programs, this act also has a narrow scope bearing in mind that the needs of people infected with HIV/AIDS are changing incessantly, and they also require a wide range of services.
The RWP Program
President Obama’s remarks during the signing of the RWP program in 2009 portray the importance of this act. He stressed on the huge role the act had played during the 19 years of its legislation. He noted that it had transformed from merely an emergency response into a holistic federal program dedicated towards addressing the plight of members from minority and marginalized communities such as the homeless, LGBT communities and rural communities (Bates, 2009). This act was firstly passed in 1990 to provide funds for community-based HIV care as well as support services for the low-income, underinsured and uninsured people (Cahill et al. 2015). Therefore, the act was supposed to fill the gaps in care but it evolved to incorporate a wide array of services particularly for people with the HIV disease.
Cahill et al. (2015) state that the RWP program through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program guarantees medical support to approximately 46% of Americans on antiretroviral treatment. Among the successes of the RWP program are the RWP Part C-funded clinics, which are essential in HIV treatment. Apart from just focusing on the care and treatment of HIV, these clinics also provide health care services for conditions such as substance use disorders, hepatitis B or C, serious mental illnesses and other life-threatening comorbidities (Cahill et al., 2015). Additionally, the program provides social work and housing assistance for the highly vulnerable persons infected with HIV/AIDS. Evidently, this program is holistic and focuses on an extensive array of aspects, which are crucial in the treatment and care for HIV/AIDS patients. Such persons need to have better living conditions and feel part and parcel of the American society. The program also specifically focuses on people infected with HIV in the U.S and that signifies the dedication of the program in ensuring prevention and promotion of overall healthcare quality in the country. Most importantly, this program is usually revised from time to time to address and incorporate the changing needs of persons infected with HIV/AIDS.
Conclusion
Although many programs have been created to address the scourge of HIV/AIDS, the RWP program is the best alternative because of its direct, specific, and holistic scope. This act focuses on the need for individuals, especially those with low incomes to receive coverage, have important social services, as well as housing. Most of the other programs only focus on single aspects, leaving out other crucial aspects which are equally important in the treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS.
References
ADA.gov. (n.d). Fighting discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS . https://www.ada.gov/hiv/#:~:text=Search%20ADA.gov&text=Persons%20with%20HIV%20disease%2C%20either,HIV%2Dpositive%20are%20also%20protected.
Avert. (2018). HIV and AIDS in the United States of America (USA) . https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/usa
Bates, C. (2009, October 30). President Obama signs the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 . https://www.hiv.gov/blog/president-obama-signs-the-ryan-white-hivaids-treatment-extension-act-of-2009#:~:text=Today%20President%20Obama%20signed%20the,Americans%20living%20with%20HIV%2FAIDS.
Birx, D.L. (2020). The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief . https://www.state.gov/pepfar/
Cahill, S. R., Mayer, K. H., & Boswell, S. L. (2015). The Ryan White HIV/AIDS program in the age of health care reform. American journal of public health , 105 (6), 1078-1085. https//:doi.org.10.2105/AJPH.2014.302442
CDC. (2020, May 12). The Affordable Care Act helps people living with HIV/AIDS . https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/policies/aca.html#:~:text=The%20Affordable%20Care%20Act%20is,living%20with%20HIV%20or%20AIDS.
HUD.gov. (n.d). Housing opportunities for persons with AIDS . https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/hopwa/
