The Business Sector's Advocacy to Maintain Funding for HIV Prevention, Research, Treatment

This is the second in a series on the state of HIV today.

In late February, The US Business Action to End HIV, the largest coalition of employers dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, sent a letter to Congress urging them to prioritize sustained federal funding for HIV prevention and treatment and underscoring the business sector’s commitment to advancing public health and ensuring progress in the fight against HIV.

“We have two goals, one to get people who are living with HIV on treatment, and two, to prevent new acquisition of HIV,” said Carl Schmid, Executive Director, HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute.

The letter warns that funding freezes and grant delays could threaten hard-won progress, reversing declines in new HIV infections and exacerbating health disparities. Business leaders are calling on Congress to maintain investments in HIV research, prevention, and access to care, emphasizing that ending the epidemic is both a moral and economic imperative.

More specifically, the Coalition urges Congress to:

• Maintain federal funding and state HIV prevention and treatment programs to safeguard decades of hard-won progress
• Advance policies that sustain and expand life-saving public health efforts to keep the momentum going
• Expand access to essential HIV services like testing, prevention, and treatment so everyone can stay healthy - regardless of where they live or their circumstances. (HIV continues to affect some communities more than others, particularly in parts of the US South, where access to prevention and care remains a challenge)
• Strengthen public-private collaboration to close gaps in care, especially in communities most impacted by HIV.

“We saw a pretty steady decrease in the number of new HIV infections in this country between 2018 and 2022 but this progress is fragile, and reductions in funding or rollbacks and policy efforts could really risk a resurgence in new HIV infections and in preventable deaths, which would undermine all of the hard won gains that we've made,” said Stephen Massey, co-founder and co-CEO of the US Business Action to End HIV.

In terms of the business sector and their role in addressing these issues, Massey says companies have an opportunity to create a comfortable environment, to be able to have employers communicate with their employees about HIV, as well as what types of health plans they offer.

“There is an opportunity for employers to share trusted information about HIV, including how to prevent infection. There's an opportunity for employers to create workplaces where employees feel comfortable talking about HIV, asking questions, and also workplaces where employees have access to the very best care and prevention,” Massey said. “Employers play a really important role in determining health care plans that employees are offered for employees who might not be covered by their insurer. They could also provide information to employees about how they can access the social safety net of services that are available.”

“The community can advocate for ourselves, but I think it's really helpful, particularly in this time period, to have additional voices, including those of the business community,” Schmid said. “They can go into congressional offices and places where perhaps the community doesn't have the same footing.”