Medicaid Is The Largest Source Of Coverage For People With HIV

“Medicaid is estimated to be the single largest source of coverage for people with HIV in the U.S., and to account for more than half of all spending on HIV care by the federal government (including the state share of Medicaid spending),” a new Kaiser Family Foundation study concludes. Medicaid enrollees with HIV “represent just a small fraction of the Medicaid population, they account for almost half of people with HIV in regular care in the United States” and differ from their counterparts without the disease particularly in their “heavy reliance on prescription drugs.” The report pinpoints some of the challenges and opportunities policy makers will face as the work to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act and ensure that the program serves the needs of the new HIV-positive beneficiaries.