Health Policy Analysis

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a policy analysis. You have been working towards this analysis in the first four weeks of this session and have already identified your public health issue, the two existing policies (i.e., laws, bills, resolutions) that address it, and defined your problem statement.

Requirements

1. This assignment will be graded on quality of information, use of citations, Standard English grammar, sentence structure, and overall organization based on the required components as summarized in the directions and grading rubric.
2. Create your essay using Microsoft Word, which is the required format for all Chamberlain documents.
3. The length of the paper is to be no greater than 7 pages, excluding title and reference pages.
4. APA format is required for both a title page and a reference page. The required components of the review should be formatted as Level 1 headings (upper and lower case, centered, boldface).
5. Note: IntroductionWrite an introduction, but do not use “Introduction” as a heading in accordance with the rules in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
6. Review the readings, lesson notes, and digital media about healthcare policy, and use the rubric to develop your paper.

MY SUBJECT IS ON ADOLECENTS WITH HIV/AIDS.

Two of my previous assignments were Reflection Surveys. Please use these references to glean from for this assignment.

Scope of the HIV Treatment Gap Among Teens

Adolescents with HIV have a high rate of obstacles to receiving and staying in care despite improved drug-based therapies. Globally, in 2022, 27 percent of new HIV infections occurred among the youth aged 15 to 24 years of age, and 2 of every 3 new infections among all adults aged 15 years and over, 2 were in young women and adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years (Dzinamarira & Moyo, 2024). The prevalence rates in the United States indicated that in 2021, there were 41,900 adolescents and young adults with HIV who were alive in the country, a figure that is largely similar to that of all other age groups (Leonard & Duroseau, 2024). This treatment gap has remained in the previous ten years, in which adolescents have recorded the worst healthcare outcomes in all levels of the HIV care continuum. In adolescents, more than 20 percent of people with HIV are not connected to care within 1 month of the diagnosis, the largest percentage among other age groups, and more than 40 percent were lost to follow-up in 2019 (Leonard & Duroseau, 2024). These inequalities pose severe societal health problems since untreated HIV in adolescents amplifies morbidity and transmission of HIV to the general population.

Barriers Preventing Treatment Access

Several related factors lead to poor HIV treatment outcomes in adolescents. Structural barriers include unemployment, poverty, housing instability, transportation difficulties, and a lack of health insurance to attend clinics regularly (Dzinamarira and Moyo, 2024). The stigmatization about HIV, treatment by healthcare facilities, and absence of family support through social structures create conditions in which teens do not want care. Factors within the healthcare system, such as long waiting times, unfavourable working hours for adolescents, poor provider attitudes towards adolescents, and a lack of privacy in the facility, also undermine engagement (Dzinamarira and Moyo, 2024). These are system-level issues that are compounded by individual-level issues, such as fear of status disclosure, depression, substance use disorders, and developmental issues (Leonard and Duroseau, 2024). These multilevel barriers should be addressed within the policy interventions, and, therefore, holistic measures are to be executed, which will result in ease in accessing adolescent-friendly services related to HIV, the increase in the degree of confidentiality rights, the expansion of healthcare coverage, and the promotion of integrated mental and social assistance services to this highly vulnerable population.

Dzinamarira, T., & Moyo, E. (2024). Adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities to achieve HIV epidemic control. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1321068.

Leonard, A., & Duroseau, B. (2024). Overview of the Epidemiology and Clinical Care Considerations for Adolescents and Young Adults Living with or at Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Nursing Clinics of North America, 59(2), 329-344.

Policy 1: Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program ( RWHAP)

One major policy that addresses and assists adolescents living with HIV/AIDS is the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. This program is federally funded and designed to support adolescents with HIV who need oral health care, psychosocial support, and assistance with insurance access. This policy is critical because funds are needed for primary care, mental health services, case management, and transportation assistance. These are all considered major barriers due to teens with HIV not receiving proper care. Despite their magnitude, programs useful for teens can be constrained by inconsistent state-level implementation and challenges in transitioning youth from pediatric to adult care.

Policy 2: Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Medicaid and CHIP are other important policies that protect confidentiality and require state-level consent. This is a program that provides health coverage to low-income families and individuals, including adolescents needing HIV treatment, as well as covering children and their families who earn too much within their household but still cant afford insurance through the private market. Policies such as this will allow adolescents with HIV to have access to prescription medications, mental health counseling, and those who suffer from substance abuse.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. (n.d.). Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Medicaid.gov.