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Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the Evolving Health Care Landscape

Working Together to Ensure Optimal HIV Care and Treatment for People Living with HIV

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program plays an essential role in the evolving health care landscape. The Program supports and strengthens the safety net of HIV care and treatment available to people living with HIV. The changes in the health care landscape help cities, states, and providers maximize their Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program resources, build a comprehensive system of care for low-income people living with HIV, and achieve the Program's public health mandate.

The evolving health care system helps people living with HIV served by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in several ways:

  • Pre-existing Conditions - Health insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, including HIV.
  • Medicaid Expansion - Some states have opted to expand their Medicaid programs to provide health care coverage to more low-income people, many of whom are people living with HIV who are Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients. In states that expanded Medicaid, the proportion of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients enrolled in the Medicaid program went up to more than 42%.
  • Health Insurance Coverage - The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program encourages grant recipients to provide health insurance premium, deductible, and co-pay assistance to clients when it is cost-effective.
  • Essential Community Providers - Providers serving low-income, medically-underserved clients, including Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program providers, must be included "in-network" of the qualified health plans available through the state and federally-facilitated marketplaces. The HIV/AIDS Bureau encourages Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program providers to enroll themselves as essential community providers.

For additional technical assistance resources, view all Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program technical assistancee and policy webinars.

For additional questions on the evolving health care landscape, contact AskHAB@hrsa.gov.

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