The face of people living with AIDS is increasingly an older one. Currently, people ages 50 and older comprise 11% of all AIDS cases, and the CDC cites this group as the fastest-growing segment of the AIDS population. Between 1991 and 1996, the AIDS rate among older people jumped 22% and the number of older women who were infected through sex more than doubled. Factors in this trend include new drugs that have prolonged life and greater numbers of older Americans as the "baby boomers" enter their 50s and 60s. As a result of these changes, the Medicare program has assumed an increasingly large role in the care of people living with HIV. Medicare is second only to Medicaid as a source of HIV/AIDS health care funding; in 1999 Medicare spent 1.5 billion dollars on HIV/AIDS care and spending has consistently increased by 100-200 million dollars annually since 1995. However, the lack of a prescription drug benefit and large out-of-pocket expenses in the Medicare program can present significant problems for Medicare beneficiaries with HIV/AIDS, and the Ryan White program is a potential resource for filling such gaps in care. Therefore, the aging of the HIV population affects both Medicare and Ryan White; yet the relationship between these two programs remains largely unexplored. This presentation will discuss this relationship and the effects of seniors living with AIDS on the Medicare and Ryan White programs, policy implications and potential strategies for the future.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the impact of the aging HIV population on the Ryan White and Medicare programs and their relationship to each other. 2. Discuss two policy implications and potential strategies for addressing the health care needs of this population
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Aging
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employed by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which administers the Ryan White CARE Act program. The two programs discussed in the presentation are Ryan White and Medicare.