On Tuesday, the Biden-Harris administration announced $1.4 billion in funding as part of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to assist low-income people with HIV obtain life-saving medications.
The program, funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ensures that individuals with HIV receive essential meds, quality HIV healthcare, and associated support services.
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According to HHS Assistant Secretary Andrea Palm, the funding supports and advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
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“The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is the cornerstone of this nation’s response to the HIV epidemic. Over half of people with diagnosed HIV in the United States – more than half a million people – receive services through the Program each year,” Palm said.
“This funding makes it possible for people with HIV to access life-saving medication and treatment that are proven to improve health outcomes, reduce HIV transmission, and save lives. We are incredibly proud of the Department’s leadership of the federal effort to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy.”
Palm made the award announcement at the opening plenary session of HRSA’s 2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment in Washington, D.C. More than 6,500 people are attending, including grant recipients, partner organizations, and healthcare and service delivery providers.
“When we talk about affordable medications, one of our top priorities at the Health Resources and Services Administration is making sure that everyone we care for who is living with HIV gets the antiretroviral therapy they need to live a long and healthy life,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “We know what works and we know how to reach the communities that need these drugs – we just need to make sure they are affordable.”
HRSA-supported AIDS Drug Assistance Programs pay for HIV medication, co-pays and co-insurance for HIV medication, and premiums for health insurance that covers HIV medication, with the goal of reaching viral suppression.
In 2022, 89.6 percent of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients receiving medical care were virally suppressed, compared to 69.5 percent in 2010. Without insurance or supporting programs, HIV medication could cost an individual more than $40,000 per year.
HRSA supports HIV care and medication in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and six U.S. Pacific territories to more than 560,000 people with HIV who have low incomes.
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