John Edwards First to Announce HIV/AIDS Strategy

Former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards announced a detailed plan for combating HIV/AIDS. He is the first presidential candidate to address HIV/AIDS in such a detailed, comprehensive way.

Read the entire plan here. Here's a summary:

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• Guaranteeing health insurance for every American – including HIV/AIDS patients -- the care they need when they need it and expanding Medicaid to cover HIV-positive individuals before they reach later stages of disabilities and AIDS.
• *Fighting the disease in the African American and Latino communities, where the harm is now greatest.
• *Calling for universal access to HIV/AIDS medicine across the world, investing $50 billion over five years to meet that goal.
• Changing the policies that protect big drug companies, at the expense of people dying of HIV/AIDS in developing countries.

Here are some reviews of the plan:

"This plan is both bold and achievable, and we are thrilled to see Senator Edwards' tremendous leadership on this issue. It's exciting to see such a realistic, science-based approach to the epidemic in the US and globally."

Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance Fund
September 24, 2007

"Senator Edwards becomes the first candidate to respond to the HIV/AIDS 'Call to Action' calling on every Presidential candidate to commit to developing a results-oriented national AIDS strategy to reduce HIV infection rates, ensure access to care and treatment and eliminate racial disparities."

The AIDS Action Council
September 24, 2007