Coverage and Care Pathways for People with HIV: A Snapshot

A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation provides a snapshot of access to health care for people with HIV today as a marker for gauging coverage changes going forward.

The brief establishes the current baseline of health insurance coverage and access to care specific to people with HIV by identifying nine state-level variables across Medicaid, private insurance, and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. While some of the variables are applicable to the general population, the brief identifies a subset of four variables which have the greatest bearing on access to care and coverage for people with HIV. It finds six states (California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, and New York) accounting for one-third of people with HIV have enhanced levels of access to care and coverage for people with HIV. Two (Alabama and Texas), which account for 10 percent of the nation’s HIV prevalence, were identified as having the most limited levels of access to care and coverage for people with HIV.

Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Menlo Park, California.