The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: The Program’s Parts Work Together to Make It Effective

Thirty-five years ago, at a time of high death rates and without effective HIV treatment, Congress established the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) in response to a pressing crisis. Since that time, the program has provided critical leadership and has built an infrastructure to support HIV care in both large metropolitan areas and underserved rural areas. The program has been an unequivocal success. In 2023, it served an estimated 576,040 of the 1.2 million people with HIV in the U.S. HIV viral suppression, the clinical goal of HIV treatment, approaches 91% for people receiving services from the program compared to 67% for all people with diagnosed HIV in the U.S.

The Trump administration has proposed creating the Agency for a Healthy America (AHA), and, according to a leaked draft of the president’s budget request for FY 2026, is proposing to move the RWHAP into this agency. The president’s budget, if enacted, also would eliminate Part F of the RWHAP which includes critical aspects of the program including the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program that supports demonstration projects to facilitate adaptations to HIV care models in response to clinical advances and policy changes; the HIV/AIDS Dental Program that trains oral health providers to provide HIV care and funds oral health services given its often unrecognized clinical importance for HIV care; and the AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Program that operates a network of regional clinical education centers to train and update physician and non-physician clinical healthcare providers (both HIV specialists and primary care providers) in often rapidly changing HIV clinical practices. Additionally, it is believed that the budget would also eliminate President Trump’s Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative.

A strong and vibrant RWHAP is also needed to extend the strong outcomes achieved by the program. As Congress contemplates fundamental changes in how federal health care programs are funded and administered, protecting and reinforcing this critical program can keep the darkest periods of the HIV epidemic from returning.

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TO LEARN MORE:

Key data about the RWHAP are found in HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau’s report, “Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Annual Data Report/Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Services Report, 2023,” which is a key source of information. As of May 12, 2025, this document has been removed from HRSA’s website, but can be found here.

Throughout this brief are hyperlinks to resources that can be found here:

• KFF, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: The Basics
• HRSA, Part B: AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)
• HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Annual Data Report/Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Services Report, 2023
• CDC, National HIV Prevention and Care Objectives: 2025 Update
• HRSA, HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program By the Number: 2023
• HRSA, HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program By the Number: 2023
• KFF, Insurance Coverage and Viral Suppression Among People with HIV, 2018
• HIV.gov, About Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.: EHE Overview
• KFF, What Do We Know About People with HIV Who Are Not Engaged In Regular HIV Care?