Bernie Sanders Releases HIV/AIDS Plan

In light of Hillary Clinton's recent slip-up, Senator Sanders has released a detailed HIV/Aids strategy. We've compiled the major points below, but check out Sanders' site for more details.

Sanders would establish the Prize Fund:

Bernie has a plan that would establish a multibillion-dollar prize fund to incentivize drug development. This prize fund would replace our country's broken system that drives drug prices up through government-sanctioned monopolies...Under Bernie's plan, innovation would be rewarded annually from a Prize Fund for HIV/AIDS therapies. The amount of money in the Prize Fund for HIV/AIDS would be more than $3 billion per year.

In other words, this plan would break the link between drug development and the rewards for medical research and development. In doing so, we will reward true innovation, eliminate the market incentive for copycat drugs and get all HIV/AIDS treatments to the people who need them at generic prices.

He would negotiate drug costs:

Bernie would also direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and reduce barriers to the importation of lower-cost drugs from Canada and other countries.

He would make sure HIV/AIDS treatments were covered:

We must make sure insurance companies and providers are not discriminating against those with HIV/AIDS, including when it comes to drug coverage...Those with HIV/AIDS or other chronic conditions should not have to fight with an insurance company in order to get the medication they need.

He would expand the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program:

Bernie will fight to expand the highly successful Ryan White HIV/AIDS program which provides HIV-related services for those who do not have sufficient health care coverage or financial resources.

Read more of Sanders' proposals here.