A Hero in Congress, Funding the National AIDS Strategy and More

California Congresswoman Barbara Lee has always put her money where her mouth is when it comes to her leadership around HIV and AIDS. Even back when she worked for then-Congressman Ron Dellums, this Oakland advocate "got" it and took up the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In this issue she speaks with writer Nick Chiles about the deciding moment that caused her to get involved, what she's doing today back home in Oakland and how the Affordable Care Act could help Black women.

We also run an update from the AIDS.gov blog about the special budget President Obama proposed earlier this year to fund the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. We already know it repurposes existing resources rather than allocating new dollars to the epidemic. In mid June the Department of Health and Human Services convened a panel of stakeholders to discuss some principles and priorities for allocating those resources should they become available. Deputy assistant secretary for health, Ron Valdesseri, M.D., M.P.H., recaps some of the feedback.

Non-adherence to medication regimens causes big problems in healthcare, including for people with HIV/AIDS and other chronic long-term conditions. Read about a new study of a method that may one day improve adherence. And learn about patient advocates' fears for consumers as the administration scales back its plans to improve our rights to appeal denials by insurance companies.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill