Insurance coverage and financing landscape for HIV treatment and prevention in the USA

Lancet. 2021 Mar 20;397(10279):1127-1138. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00397-4. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Abstract

In 2010, the US health insurance system underwent one of its most substantial transformations with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which increased coverage for millions of people in the USA, including those with and at risk of HIV. Even so, the system of HIV care and prevention services in the USA is a complex patchwork of payers, providers, and financing mechanisms. People with HIV are primarily covered by Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, or a combination of these; many get care through other programmes, particularly the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which serves as the nation's safety net for people with HIV who remain uninsured or underinsured but offers modest to no support for prevention services. While uninsurance has drastically declined over the past decade, the USA trails other high-income countries in key HIV-specific metrics, including rates of viral suppression. In this paper in the Series, we provide an overview of the coverage and financing landscape for HIV treatment and prevention in the USA, discuss how the Affordable Care Act has changed the domestic health-care system, examine the major programmes that provide coverage and services, and identify remaining challenges.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / drug therapy
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / epidemiology*
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anti-Retroviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis
  • COVID-19 / economics*
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • Female
  • Gender Identity
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • HIV Infections / economics
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Insurance Coverage / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Insurance, Health / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Male
  • Medicaid / statistics & numerical data
  • Medically Uninsured / statistics & numerical data
  • Medicare / statistics & numerical data
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  • Risk Assessment
  • SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
  • United States / epidemiology

Substances

  • Anti-Retroviral Agents