HIV/AIDS

Originally posted on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.

The election is 18 weeks from today.  This post will echo my first post in many ways as it relates to an issue that many people probably don’t think of as a political issue.  It certainly doesn’t get a lot of debate.  So, here are some reiterated facts from my first post which was on Alzheimer’s Disease.

The United States Health Department funds the National Institutes of Health as the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research.  The NIH’s budget is around 32 billion out of about a 3.7 trillion dollar national budget (less than 1%).

The 2016 spending bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama at the end of 2015 saw a 6.6% increase to the NIH’s budget which is the largest increase in 12 years (though it is still relatively underfunded).

So, medical research is a political issue.  It is often overlooked politically even though it is an important part of our government function.

There are 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States with 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year.  On July 13, 2010, the White House released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) as the “nation’s first ever comprehensive coordinated HIV/AIDS roadmap with clear and measurable targets to be achieved.”

Where do the candidates stand on it?

Clinton:  Clinton believes and AIDS-free generation is within our reach.  She will increase investment in HIV/AIDS research, secure affordable treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS by capping out of pocket expenses for people living with the disease, and reform laws and policies discriminating on the basis of HIV status.  She will work to fully implement the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  She will also increase global funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.

Clinton has a plan for holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable and lower the cost of prescription drugs for ALL Americans, not just those with HIV.  It includes capping monthly and annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at $250 among other things.

She will also increase CDC investment to increase knowledge and usage of the drug PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) which has proved effective in preventing HIV infections.

She will fight to extend Medicaid coverage to provide life-saving health care to people living with HIV. Of the 70,000 people living with HIV who were uninsured before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), roughly 47,000 were supposed to be newly eligible for Medicaid. However, the refusal of some states to expand Medicaid coverage (which I discussed in my last post) has left many of them ineligible. Hillary will fight until every state expands Medicaid coverage to provide life-saving health care to people living with HIV.

Once again, her experience as first lady, senator, and secretary of state pay off here as she has worked globally on this issue, put forth legislation, and launched federal campaigns.

Trump:  Trump does not address any medical research support on his website.  A search for Donald Trump’s views on HIV/AIDS research and support yield numerous results about Trump accidentally contracting HIV as the butt of a joke in a new Sacha Baron Cohen movie, “The Brother’s Grimsby.”