The Potential Impact of Health Care Reform on Public Health HIV-Related Activities

This article observes that, despite the clear potential benefits of health care reform's expanding health insurance coverage for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, there is a real danger of losing existing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) services if federal categorical public health programs are cut. It discusses the considerable accomplishments of the Ryan White CARE Act and of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prevention funding. The funding for these current efforts will not be assumed by near universal insurance coverage for a variety of reasons, including the need to care for populations who are neglected by health care reform, to continue services unlikely to be reimbursable, and to offer care in a range of locations other than licensed health care facilities.