The prevalence of mental health conditions among people living with HIV (PLWH) is high (23% among Medicare and 28% among Medicaid enrollees). Based on data from Medicare and Medicaid insurance claims from 2010, PLWH with mental health conditions had significantly higher treatment costs for both mental health and non-mental health conditions. These data support further […]
2020 saw the continued impact of systemic racism and racial inequity in the U.S. Inequities of COVID-19 highlighted the convergence of social risk factors, racism and health, while the police killing of George Floyd and others sparked international protests for racial justice. We provide examples of how tobacco companies and retailers, ever ready to capitalise, […]
Systemic racism is a public health crisis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration applies the Population Health Standard in tobacco product review processes by weighing anticipated health benefits against risks associated with a given commercial tobacco product at the population level. However, systemic racism (ie, discriminatory policies and practices) contributes to an inequitable distribution of […]
Changes in the United States federal-level political landscape have been felt within immigrant communities, and the public health clinics that serve them. We sought to document how HIV prevention and care clinics in California are reaching and retaining their immigrant community patients during a period of retrenchment of accessible public resources and immigrant rights. Paper […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 156,300 (95% CI 144,100–165,900) Americans living with HIV in 2012 were unaware of their infection. To increase knowledge of HIV status, CDC guidelines seek to make HIV screening a routine part of medical care. This paper examines how routinely California primary care providers test for […]
We sought to identify people living with HIV/AIDS from Medicare and Medicaid claims data to estimate Medicaid costs for treating HIV/AIDS in California. We also examined how alternate methods of identifying the relevant sample affect estimates of per capita costs. We analyzed data on Californians enrolled in Medicaid with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis reported in 2007 […]
In preparation for full Affordable Care Act implementation, California has instituted two healthcare initiatives that provide comprehensive coverage for previously uninsured or underinsured individuals. For many people living with HIV, this has required transition either from the HIV-specific coverage of the Ryan White program to the more comprehensive coverage provided by the county-run Low-Income Health […]
Many uninsured people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) will obtain managed health insurance coverage when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is implemented in January 2014. Since 2011, California has transitioned PLWHA to Medicaid managed care (MMC) and to the Low Income Health Program (LIHP). To draw lessons for the ACA implementation from the transitions into MMC […]
