HIV/AIDS AND UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE: DETAILS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Hundreds of thousands of people in America are living with HIV infection and don't have basic health care.
  • Out of the one million people who are living with HIV infection in the US, over half don't get lifesaving HIV care.
  • And half the people in the US who need antiretroviral medications to prevent advanced disease can't get them.

Universal health care is the best way to ensure effective HIV care in the United States. AIDSVote encourages all candidates for public office to work for universal health care in the US and to prioritize the provision of HIV treatment and services in the implementation of universal health care initiatives.

The Institute of Medicine, our nation's most prestigious medical organization, recommended in 2004 that the United States implement universal health coverage.

The IOM also recommended in 2004 that the United States, in the absence of universal coverage, implement a new national entitlement to comprehensive health care and prevention services for people living with HIV infection.