AEGiS-09IAC: HIV & U.S. health care reform.

9th International AIDS Conference

Berlin, Germany — June 6-11, 1993

HIV & U.S. health care reform.

Int Conf AIDS 1993 Jun 6-11; 9:126 (abstract no. WS-D23-4)
Isbell M; Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York, N.Y.

OBJECTIVES: To identify principles for health care reform in the U.S. on the basis of the experience of persons living with HIV.

METHODS: Health care financing trends for HIV care were identified through extensive review of available data, economic analyses, and reported legal decisions.

CONCLUSIONS: Experience during the HIV epidemic highlights the following objectives for systemic health care reform: (1) universal coverage in a single health care system; (2) progressive financing; (3) administrative efficiency; (4) central authority to contain costs and ensure a proper allocation of health care resources; (5) delivery of a comprehensive set of benefits, including long-term care, prescription drugs, and investigational therapies for life-threatening conditions; (6) emphasis on consumer needs, including education, quality of care, and freedom of choice; and (7) attention to other barriers to care, such as lack of transportation, lack of housing, drug or alcohol addiction, and discrimination on the basis of sex, race or ethnicity, SES, or sexual orientation.

Keywords: AEGIS, Health Care Reform, National Health Insurance, United States, Health Services Accessibility, Delivery of Health Care, Politics, Universal Coverage, Insurance, Long-Term Care, Health Services Needs and Demand, HIV Infections, Long-Term Care, United States, economics, ICA9
930606
WSD234