Today [August 20], the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced more than $1.4 billion in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding for the HRSA AIDS Drug Assistance Program and related awards. This HRSA funding ensures that individuals with HIV who have low incomes receive lifesaving medication, quality HIV health care and essential support services. This announcement supports and advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

HRSA-supported AIDS Drug Assistance Programs pay for HIV medication, co-pays and co-insurance for HIV medication, and premiums for health insurance that covers HIV medication. This critical support helps individuals with HIV receive antiretroviral therapies, which help people reach viral suppression, meaning they cannot sexually transmit HIV and can live longer and healthier lives. Without access to lifesaving HIV medication provided by HRSA-supported AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, HIV medication could cost an individual more than $40,000 per year, putting it otherwise out of reach. HRSA supports critical HIV care and medication in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and six U.S. Pacific territories.

Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm announced the awards during the opening plenary session of HRSA’s2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment in Washington, DC. More than 6,500 people are attending the convening, including Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grant recipients; federal, national, state, and local partners and organizations; health care and service delivery providers; and people with HIV. The theme for this year’s National Conference is “Innovating to End the HIV Epidemic: Empowering Communities, Expanding Partnerships, Implementing Interventions.”

“The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is the cornerstone of this nation’s response to the HIV epidemic. Over half of people with diagnosed HIV in the United States – more than half a million people – receive services through the Program each year,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “This funding makes it possible for people with HIV to access life-saving medication and treatment that are proven to improve health outcomes, reduce HIV transmission, and save lives. We are incredibly proud of the Department’s leadership of the federal effort to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy.”

“When we talk about affordable medications, one of our top priorities at the Health Resources and Services Administration is making sure that everyone we care for who is living with HIV gets the antiretroviral therapy they need to live a long and healthy life.  We know what works and we know how to reach the communities that need these drugs – we just need to make sure they are affordable,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “That’s what our HRSA Ryan White Program delivers every day in communities across this country.  We make lifesaving and life-sustaining medications and treatments affordable and accessible for individuals with HIV who struggle to pay for this care.  Going forward, we are committed to continuing this work and reach even more individuals who are not yet engaged in care but need this vital help.”

HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides a comprehensive system of HIV primary medical care, medication, and needed support services to more than 560,000 people with HIV who have low incomes. The program focuses on tailoring approaches to best meet people with HIV and their communities where they are, including by addressing social determinants of health – like housing, transportation, and food access – that directly affect the ability of patients to enter and stay in care and access treatment services. In 2022, 89.6 percent of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients receiving medical care were virally suppressed, compared to 69.5 percent in 2010. 

HRSA convenes the National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment every two years to deliver program and policy updates, share innovative HIV interventions, and provide training and technical assistance. This biennial event provides a forum to share best practices and innovative strategies that empower participants and their communities to continue implementing a national response to reduce HIV-related health disparities and to end the HIV epidemic in the United States.

For a full list of fiscal year 2024 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part B and AIDS Drug Assistance Program award recipients, visit: http://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/about/parts-and-initiatives/part-b-adap/fy-2024-grant-awards.

For more information about HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, visit http://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov.

This news release was published by the Department of Health and Human Services on August 20, 2024.