Frequent Questions

Resources

Questions on This Page
How do I know if I am eligible to receive assistance with my treatment?
What programs does the government have to help people with their HIV treatment?
What are the recommended HIV treatment regimens?
How will I know if my HIV treatment regimen is working?
What is treatment adherence?


How do I know if I am eligible to receive assistance with my treatment?

Most treatment assistance is administered by local and state entities – please contact your local state AIDS hotline for more information about what is available in your locale. A list of hotline numbers are available at the National and State AIDS hotline site (Aidshotline.org - Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

To see if you or your family members are eligible to receive direct federal assistance for HIV treatment of other benefits programs, please visit GovBenefits.gov, the official benefits website of the Federal government.

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What programs does the government have to help people with their HIV treatment?

The Ryan White Program is the major Federal program to help people with their HIV treatment. The program was originally enacted in 1990 and has been reauthorized 3 times – 1996, 2000, and 2006. The program provides funding to local healthcare programs which provide assistance to individuals at the state or local level. Visit the Ryan White Program site for more information. (Health Resources and Services Administration)

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What are the recommended HIV treatment regimens?

The recommended treatment for HIV is a combination of three or more medications in a regimen called Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). Each HAART regimen is tailored to the individual patient – there is no one "best" regimen. You and your doctor will decide which medications are right for you. For more information view the fact sheet Recommended HIV Treatment Regimens (PDF – 60 KB) | En español (PDF - 71 KB)

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How will I know if my HIV treatment regimen is working?

In general, viral load is the most important indicator of how well your regimen is working. Your viral load should decrease if your anti-HIV medications are effective. Other factors that can tell you and your doctor how well your regimen is working are if your CD4 count is stable or goes up and if you are remaining health and have positive physical examinations. For more information view the fact sheet Is My Treatment Regimen Working? (PDF – 56 KB) | En español (PDF – 135 KB)

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What is treatment adherence?

Treatment adherence refers to how closely you follow a prescribed treatment regimen. It includes your willingness to start treatment and your ability to take medications exactly as directed. Treatment adherence is extremely important for individuals taking antiretroviral medication as it affects how well anti-HIV medications decrease your viral load and adherence helps prevent drug resistance. For more information view the fact sheet What is Treatment Adherence? (PDF – 54 KB) (AIDSInfo) | En español (PDF – 66 KB)

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Last revised: 04/14/2008