Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In State Of Union, Trump Announces Plan To Target HIV Hot Spots In Ambitious Goal To Reduce New Infections
The New York Times: Trump Plan To Stop Spread Of H.I.V. Will Target ‘Hot Spot’ Areas
President Trump’s plan to stop the transmission of H.I.V. in the United States will focus on 48 counties where about half of new infections occur, administration officials said on Tuesday. The goal is to reduce new infections by 75 percent over five years and to “end the H.I.V. epidemic in America” by 2030, said Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, who coordinated development of the ambitious plan, outlined by Mr. Trump in his State of the Union address. New infections in recent years have remained at roughly the same level, around 40,000 a year. (Pear, 2/5)
The Washington Post: Trump Announces Goal Of Ending HIV/AIDS Epidemic By End Of Next Decade
In his State of the Union address, President Trump went beyond the promises of any of his predecessors since AIDS appeared as a deadly scourge nearly four decades ago. He announced a strategy to stop the spread of HIV by 2030 by concentrating as-yet-unspecified resources on 48 counties and other “hot spots” where half the nation’s new infections occur. “Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach,” the president said in the latter part of his annual agenda-setting speech to both chambers of Congress. “Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond.” (Goldstein, 2/5)
The Associated Press: Trump Plan To Stop HIV Epidemic Targets High-Infection Areas
Briefing reporters ahead of Trump's State of the Union speech, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and senior public health officials said the campaign relies on fresh insights into where about half of new HIV cases occur — 48 out of some 3,000 U.S. counties, and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and seven states with at-risk rural residents. "We've never had that kind of 'This is the target,'" said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's pre-eminent AIDS warrior and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The government has "been trying to address HIV, but never in such a focused way," he said. (2/5)
Politico: Trump’s State Of The Union Pledge: Ending HIV Transmissions By 2030
The State of the Union historically has been a platform for presidents to make bold public health proclamations — many of which haven't come to pass. Former President Barack Obama used his final address in January 2016 to call for an end to cancer. While the cancer rate has continued to decline, more than 600,000 U.S. residents were estimated to have died from cancer last year. (Diamond, 2/3)
CQ: Trump Could Be His Own Biggest Obstacle On HIV/AIDS Plan
President Donald Trump's plan to eliminate HIV transmission in the United States by 2030, which he announced Tuesday night, would be an ambitious goal that would require his administration to reverse course on a number of policies that potentially hinder access to HIV/AIDS care. ... Trump is winning some praise for the goal, and most advocates say that, scientifically, it is achievable. However, the administration’s broader policies, such as liberalizing health insurance regulations and cutting discretionary spending, are at odds with increasing access to drugs and other steps that could end the spread of the high-profile disease. (Siddons, 2/5)
Stat: Can The U.S. End The HIV Epidemic In A Decade, As Trump Pledged?
President Trump confirmed Tuesday that his administration will attempt to end the HIV epidemic in the United States within the next decade — but experts have warned that’s a harder task than his simple pledge suggests. Trump’s decision to emphasize the pledge in his State of the Union address, as Politico first reported this weekend, triggered excitement among public health experts who know that with adequate funding for medications and other scientific tools that great inroads could be made in at least reducing the number of infections that occur in the country each year. In 2017, nearly 39,000 Americans contracted HIV. (Branswell, 2/5)
