ADAP programs

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Another reason to keep the wealthy-pumping elitists McSame/Palindrone the hell out of the White House. (Currently the Shite House.) M. **Clinical Infectious Diseases 2008;47:695–701© 2008 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.1058-4838/2008/4705-0017$15.00DOI: 10.1086/590936HIV/AIDSINVITED ARTICLEAIDS Drug Assistance Programs in the Era of Routine HIV TestingIngrid V. Bassett,1,2   Farel,3   D. Szmuilowicz,4 and  Rochelle P. Walensky1,2,5,6Divisions of 1Infectious Disease and 2General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 3Department of Medicine and Divisions of 4Endocrinology and 5Infectious Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and 6Harvard Center for AIDS Research, Boston, MassachusettsAIDS [Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome] Drug Assistance Programs, operating within the larger White Program, are state-based, discretionary programs that provide a drug "safety net" for low-income and uninsured individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs and the primary care system that provides care for patients with HIV infection are already financially stressed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued guidelines recommending universal HIV testing to help identify the estimated 300,000 individuals in the United States who are unaware that they are infected with HIV. As the number of people living with HIV/AIDS who are coinfected with hepatitis C virus has grown and the cost and complexity of care have increased, the sustainability of the current HIV care system requires a reevaluation in light of the new testing guidelines. We examine the current state of the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, discuss the implications of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for the already overstretched White Program, and consider a federally supported national program to ensure high-quality, efficient HIV care for low-income HIV-infected Americans.Received 4 January 2008; accepted 7 May 2008; electronically published 21 July 2008.Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Ingrid V. Bassett, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford St., Ninth Fl., Boston, MA 02114 (ibassett@...).