Editing HIV/AIDS in the United States (section)

=== Public health policies ===
{{see also|Ronald Reagan and AIDS}}
[[File:A woman with her hand in her hair and the other pulling up Wellcome L0052386.jpg|thumb|upright|1993 poster for "America responds to AIDS", a campaign by the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]]]]

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, several [[President of the United States|U.S. presidents]] have attempted to implement a national plan to control the issue. In 1987, [[Ronald Reagan]] created a [[President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic|Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic]]. This commission was recruited to investigate what steps are necessary for responding to the HIV/AIDS outbreak in the country, and the consensus was to establish more HIV testing, focus on prevention and treatment as well as expanding HIV care throughout the United States.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Yehia |first1=Baligh |last2=Frank |first2=Ian |date=2011 |title=Battling AIDS in America: An Evaluation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=101 |issue=9 |pages=e4–e8 |doi=10.2105/ajph.2011.300259 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=3154226 |pmid=21778507}}</ref> However, these changes were not implemented during this time, and the commission recommendations were largely ignored.

Another attempt to respond to the HIV/AIDS outbreak took place in 1996, when [[Bill Clinton]] established the National AIDS Strategy, which aimed to reduce the number of infections, enhance research on HIV treatment, increase access to resources for people affected by AIDS, and also alleviate the racial disparities in HIV treatment and care.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Collins, Chris. |title=Improving outcomes blueprint for a national AIDS plan for the United States. |date=2007 |publisher=Open Society Institute |oclc=1100047917}}</ref> In [[Vancouver]], the 11th International AIDS Conference highlighted the effectiveness [[highly active antiretroviral therapy]] (HAART), thus creating a new period of optimism.<ref name="responsetohivaids" /> 1996 would mark the first year since the beginning of the epidemic that the number of new HIV/AIDS cases would decline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Update: Trends in AIDS Incidence -- United States, 1996 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049322.htm |access-date=September 16, 2024 |publisher=Center for Disease Control |archive-date=June 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606100456/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049322.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="responsetohivaids" /> AIDS was now no longer the leading cause of death in Americans aged 25-44, although it remained the leading cause of death for African Americans in this age group.<ref name="responsetohivaids" /> The [[AIDS Memorial Quilt]] would be displayed in its entirety for the last time on the [[National Mall]] in October 1996.<ref name="responsetohivaids" /> 1997 would mark the first time that the number of AIDS-related deaths would substantially decline, with the U.S. [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) reporting a 47% decline in AIDS-related deaths compared to the previous year.<ref name="drugtherapyeffectiveness">{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=David |date=October 7, 1998 |title=AIDS Death Rate In '97 Down 47% |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/10/08/aids-death-rate-in-97-down-47/6ca3a56d-2015-42fa-b4f4-0ffe2aa22d12/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="responsetohivaids">{{Cite news |title=A Timeline of HIV and AIDS |url=https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/history/hiv-and-aids-timeline |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=hiv.gov |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525214323/https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/aids-timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The effectiveness of drug therapy such as HAART would be credited for this significant decline in new cases and deaths.<ref name="responsetohivaids" /><ref name="drugtherapyeffectiveness" />

In 2010, [[Barack Obama]] created the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States (NHAS), with its three main objectives being to reduce the annual number of HIV infections, reduce health disparities, and increase access to resources and HIV care.<ref name=":2" /> However, this new strategy differs in that it includes an Implementation Plan, with a timeline for achieving each of the three goals, as well as a document outlining the specific action plan that will be used.<ref>{{Cite book |title=National HIV/AIDS strategy : federal implementation plan |date=2010 |publisher=White House Office of National AIDS Policy |oclc=656320879}}</ref>

In 2019, [[Donald Trump]] announced a plan in his [[State of the Union Address]] to stop new HIV infections in the United States by 2030, though critics pointed to the President's policies reducing access to health insurance, anti-immigrant and anti-transgender policies as undermining this goal.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Neel |first1=Joe |last2=Simmons-Duffin |first2=Selena |date=2019-02-06 |title=Halting U.S. HIV Epidemic By 2030: Difficult But Doable |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/06/691934890/halting-u-s-hiv-epidemic-by-2030-difficult-but-doable |work=NPR |access-date=January 10, 2020 |archive-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006180022/https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/06/691934890/halting-u-s-hiv-epidemic-by-2030-difficult-but-doable |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Department of Health and Human Services]] issued grants to 32 HIV "hotspots" in 2019, and Congress earmarked over $291 million for the president's plan in FY2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--staff byline; no author given--> |date=2019-12-18 |title=Some Big Health Care Policy Changes Are Hiding In The Federal Spending Package |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/18/789291340/some-big-health-care-policy-changes-are-hiding-in-the-federal-spending-package |work=NPR |access-date=January 10, 2020 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002182356/https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/18/789291340/some-big-health-care-policy-changes-are-hiding-in-the-federal-spending-package |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2019, U.S. District Court Judge [[Leonie Brinkema]] issued an temporary order barring the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]] for discharging or denying officer commissions to personnel based on HIV status.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weiner |first=Rachel |date=February 15, 2019 |title=Federal judge temporarily blocks military from forcing out HIV-positive airmen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-military-from-forcing-out-hiv-positive-airmen/2019/02/15/5e40b1a2-313c-11e9-813a-0ab2f17e305b_story.html |access-date=May 18, 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205224303/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-military-from-forcing-out-hiv-positive-airmen/2019/02/15/5e40b1a2-313c-11e9-813a-0ab2f17e305b_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Judge Brinkema's order became permanent in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lavoie |first=Denise |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Judge Rules U.S. Military Can't Discharge HIV-Positive Troops |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bc-us-military-hiv-policy_n_62541243e4b0e97a35145a29 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=HuffPost |language=en |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411115603/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bc-us-military-hiv-policy_n_62541243e4b0e97a35145a29 |url-status=live }}</ref>