“Having cost sharing is a major barrier” to PrEP drugs, said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute. “PrEP was a central pillar” of government efforts to end HIV, he said. And the Braidwood decision “would really impact our efforts to end HIV and prevent new infections. PrEP is not just the drug. It’s all these lab visits, lab tests, the medical tests. That would go away.”
“It appears that our investments in HIV prevention are providing some positive results, but the persistent high number of new diagnoses and the low usage of PrEP among the communities most impacted by HIV point to the need for increased resources, particularly for a national PrEP program,” commented Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute in a statement about the new figures. “Both Presidents Trump and Biden have put forth initiatives to end HIV with calls for increased funding for testing, treatment, and prevention, including for PrEP. However, it is necessary for Congress to commit to the investments as well.”
“It appears that our investments in HIV prevention are providing some positive results, but the persistent high number of new diagnoses and the low usage of PrEP among the communities most impacted by HIV point to the need for increased resources, particularly for a national PrEP program,” Carl Schmid, the executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, said in a statement. The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute noted that while President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal includes an increase of $277 million, for a total of $850 million, to accelerate efforts to end the HIV epidemic by 2030, current calls for deep cuts in domestic spending could jeopardize those efforts, increasing the number of new infections in subsequent years and prolonging the epidemic.
“Copay accumulator programs are manifestly unlawful and endanger millions of people living with HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic conditions who rely on copay assistance to afford their medicines,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. “Instead of engaging the substance of our case, the government is making the bizarre claim that the rule which expressly allows copay accumulators did not materially change the status quo.”
People of color could experience even greater risks of HIV as a debt ceiling deal between the Democrats and Republicans would possibly slash tens of billions of dollars from the public health sector which funds “testing, case investigation and treatment of HIV and other STDs.” Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute argues that all of these factors are exacerbating the crisis. “This will result in new infections, more people living with HIV, and the need to provide lifetime care and treatment,” Schmid said.