Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Important Happenings in HIV/Health Policy

Week ending: January 25, 2018
By: Sable K. Nelson & Matthew Rose

HHS Requests Community Feedback on National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (NVHAP)

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy (OHAIDP) will soon host two listening sessions to continue gathering public input for updates to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (NVHAP). Both national plans currently expire in 2020.

Save the Dates for the In-Person Listening Session on Friday, February 22, 2019: 
In-person Listening Session at HHS from 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (ET) in Room 800 of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20201. RSVP by Thursday, February 14 by sending your name, title, and organization to HepHIVStrategies@hhs.gov.

Share Your Comments in Writing

In addition, we will soon publish a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register to solicit written comments, recommendations, and ideas for updating both the NHAS and the NVHAP. As soon as the RFI is published, NMAC will provide a link to it as well as information about its deadline for input.

All the input gathered from the listening sessions and responses to the RFI will be shared with our federal partners, who collectively will use that information to update the vision, goals, and strategies for both plans, as well as each agency’s actions for implementing them.

Modeling Study Shows Two Common STDs Threaten Advances in HIV

Despite tremendous advancements that have been made toward the goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the US, a modeling study recently published in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Researchers reported that 10 percent of all new HIV cases among men-who-have-sex-with-men in the US are caused by gonorrhea and chlamydia infections. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the two most common reportable infections in the US. This model supports research showing these STDs increase the body’s risk to transmit and receive HIV. The increase of gonorrhea and chlamydia threatens the decrease of over 13 percent in new HIV cases over the last eight years – as the result of sustained federal investment in HIV prevention and the advent of biomedical advances like PrEP. For more information, READ → http://www.ncsddc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019_Jones_Proportion_of_Incident_HIV_Cases_among_Men_Who.98127.pdf

Drug-Pricing Policies Find New Momentum As ‘A 2020 Thing’

Emboldened by midterm election results and interest in possible presidential runs, Democrats are advancing a slew of new and old legislative proposals. It’s not yet clear, though, which if any could go the distance. For more information, LISTEN → https://khn.org/news/drug-pricing-policies-find-new-momentum-as-a-2020-thing/

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Medicare-For-All’? More? Some?

“Medicare-for-all” has become the rallying cry for Democrats in the new Congress. But there is a long list of other ways to increase insurance coverage. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to chip away at the Medicaid program for the poor, and new rules could mean higher costs for individual health insurance in 2020. Alice Ollstein of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and, for “extra credit,” provide their favorite health policy stories of the week. For more information, LISTEN → https://khn.org/news/podcast-khns-what-the-health-medicare-for-all-more-some/

What You Can Do

TAKE ACTION: It is very important that our elected officials hear from us to protect federal funding for HIV prevention and care. Speak truth to power by sharing your personal stories with your elected officials. It is vitally important to meet to your federal elected officials when they are at home. If we don’t support and advocate for HIV funding and programs, who will?  Our movement cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. Your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives need to hear from you.

What NMAC is Doing About It

  • NMAC remains vigilant in its advocacy to protect FY20 government funding and the existence of the social safety net. And we  will start looking for increases to our existing programs.
  • NMAC is planning for the new year and meeting our new members of Congress. We are very excited to talk to the new House about our priorities.
  • NMAC is working in coalition to defend the right of people living with HIV to serve in the US military.