In This Issue

We continue our series about coming out of the closet to live openly with HIV with the story of Venton Jones' powerful decision immediately upon receiving his diagnosis not to hide his status. You may know Jones for his work with the National Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition and for being a Fellow in the African American HIV University (AAHU). This story will give you another reason to admire him.

Recently the FDA approved the Alere Determine HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo, the first rapid diagnostic test that will help trained professionals detect both HIV-1 and HIV-2 in a single test, a capability that will be particularly useful in outreach settings.

Residents of the states not participating in Medicaid Expansion but whose income falls within federal poverty guidelines might still qualify for subsidies that could cover nearly all of the cost of private health insurance sold on the new online insurance marketplaces. Kaiser Health News reports.

New research has found that the prevalence, incidence and persistence of anal HPV was higher than that of oral HPV in a group of HIV-positive people in Baltimore.

And Idaho, the only one of the 16 states setting up online health insurance marketplaces where the state legislature is Republican run, gears up for the challenges of launching its insurance exchange.

Yours in the struggle,

Raniyah M. Copeland