After Three Decades, the U.S. Gets Its First National HIV/AIDS Strategy

When President Barack Obama's Office of National AIDS Policy released the first ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy this past week, it marked several new markers in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

First, Obama has fulfilled a campaign promise to re-create and re-imagine the way we fight HIV here in America. It is ironic, and a bit sad, that while President George W. Bush was doling out billions in aid to African nations, he was demanding they have national HIV strategies, but the U.S. had never — in the 29 years of the epidemic — bothered to do that for itself.

Second, the plan is ambitious. Obama calls for reducing the number of new infections by 25% by 2015, increasing the number of people getting tested for HIV and increasing the number of people gaining access to early treatment if they test positive. Incredibly thoughtful goals, until you consider this: there is no increase in domestic HIV/AIDS spending planned.

“There’s a political calculus here that they’re absolutely terrified to spend any money,” Ged Kenslea, spokesman for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation told Bloomberg Business Week. Kenslea says unless the Obama administration ponies up for the costs which are surely to come from such an ambitious plan, "there's not a lot to this plan."

But Obama officials might just be behind a move in Congress to up the cash value of HIV prevention and funding programming. Late Thursday, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee approved $84 million in cash for The Ryan White funding and $29 million more for HIV prevention programs. The $84 million is $45 million more than Obama asked for, notes the AIDS Institute in a press blast. (I would link to the press release, but the group's website says it has had a data loss and is in the process of restoring).

The funding for prevention is welcome news, considering that HIV prevention funding is three percent of the total HIV budget of the U.S. government.

But getting that increased funding through an increasingly hostile Congress may not be easy. Lawmakers are worried about the tea party backlash, and fear approving spending which will increase the national debt. That is, unless the spending is on wars, or tax cuts for the wealthy.

And finally, the thing that tweaked my interest was the call on states to address health disparities with sexual minorities through anti-discrimination. While some lawmakers in my state of Michigan are posturing for the conservative base, claiming such a call is pushing a "political agenda," others are saying they are ready to push laws to protect Michigan's LGBT community. Particularly in light of the President's call.

Photo credit: The White House