A Recent Milestone in HIV Treatment: The 10th Patient

By: Jonathan Sosa, Guest Blog Contributor, ADAP Advocacy

Recently, a Norwegian man became the 10th person ever to be cured of HIV. It represents another step forward in understanding how long-term remission can be achieved for those living with HIV. The news also still offers hope for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) that a cure is possible, while also offering some good news for the HIV community–which has been battered by a presidential administration gutting long-established and proven safety-net programs that have served as the backbone of the nation’s care continuum for them.

Photo Source: Live Science | Dr_Microbe via Getty Images

The 63-year-old Norwegian patient received a stem cell transplant from his brother, who carries a rare genetic mutation known as CCR5-delta 32. This mutation prevents HIV from entering immune cells, effectively blocking the virus from spreading within the body. 

Following the transplant, the patient discontinued antiretroviral therapy (ART) and has shown no detectable viral load (Glassman-Hughes, 2026; Gometz, 2026). While cases like this are rare, they prove that eliminating HIV from the body is possible nonetheless. 

Limits of this treatment approach 

Despite the significance of this case, there are limitations that prevent it from being a universal solution for curing HIV/AIDS. 

First, stem cell transplants are complex, high-risk procedures usually done on patients who have cancer. In other words, these are not common procedures (or even the safest options) for most PLWHA. 

Second, the 10th man cured from HIV/AIDS has a brother with a natural mutation that creates a natural resistance to it. However, there are not many donors that may have this CCR5 mutation, which limits the ability to scale this approach to others living with HIV/AIDS. Due to limitations like these, researchers are not viewing this case as a universal solution but as insight into how the disease can be cured in more people moving forward. 

Photo Source: WowRx

Why HIV/AIDS funding matters 

The HIV community has expressed concern with feeling under attack, since policies regarding funding are being called into question, and in some cases gutted or eliminated as proposed in the Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget blueprint. This uncertainty makes continued scientific progress even more important. It shows why HIV funding matters. 

Despite pressures on HIV advocacy and proposed funding cuts, there is still promising news, like the cure for the 'Oslo patient'. Each new case is evidence that a cure to HIV is possible. Prior to this case, several other HIV patients who underwent comparable transplants had achieved long-term remission from the infection (Lanese, 2026).

Continued progress in HIV treatment is driven by ongoing research efforts to find a cure. According to the National Institutes of Health, current strategies include gene-editing techniques designed to replicate the CCR5 mutation, immune-based therapies targeting hidden viral reservoirs, and approaches aimed at activating and eliminating latent viral reservoirs within the body (National Institutes of Health, 2026). 

These research efforts reinforce why continued investment in HIV research remains essential for providing accessible care. Although challenges remain, progress is being made, and cases like these prove why research and investment into HIV care should be supported.

Disclaimer: All of the funders of the ADAP Advocacy Association are publicly available online at https://www.adapadvocacy.org/support.html. 

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association; rather, they provide a neutral platform for the author to promote open, honest discussion of public health-related issues and updates.

References:

[1] Lanese, Nicoletta. (2026, April 13). Oslo patient likely cured of HIV after getting stem cell transplant from his brother who is genetically resistant to the virus. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/health/hiv/oslo-patient-likely-cured-of-hiv-after-getting-stem-cell-transplant-from-his-brother-who-is-genetically-resistant-to-the-virus

[2] National Institutes of Health. (2025, April 15). Research toward an HIV cure: Research priorities overview. NIH Office of AIDS Research. https://www.oar.nih.gov/hiv-policy-and-research/research-priorities-overview/research-toward-hiv-cure

[3] Glassman-Hughes, Emma. (2026, April 14). Norwegian man is 10th person cured of HIV thanks to his brother. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/health/norwegian-man-is-10th-person-cured-of-hiv-thanks-to-his-brother/

[4] Gometz, Emma (2026, April 13). Person functionally cured of HIV after bone marrow transplant from sibling. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/person-functionally-cured-of-hiv-after-bone-marrow-transplant-from-sibling/

Lies, Damned Lies, and 340B Matters Lies

By: Marcus J. Hopkins, Health Policy Lead Consultant, ADAP Advocacy

The 340B reform denialists, in chorus, obfuscate the truth: namely, that the 340B Drug Pricing Program is doing "just fine" and needs no changes, no matter how big or small. In a recent social media post, an organization that professes to care about patients, “340B Matters”, posted the following on X:

Welcome to Friday Pharma Lies, a series debunking the drug industry’s falsehoods about the 340B Program.

Lie: 340B discounts are supposed to be passed along to patients.

Truth: Congress created 340B “to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.” Accordingly, covered entities use 340B to fund safety net healthcare services they otherwise could not afford to offer. Many covered entities use 340B discounts to connect patients with discounted drugs, but there is no requirement for them to do so (Figure 1; 340B Matters, 2026).

Figure 1 – 340B Matters Social Media Post

Photo Source: 340B Matters

This post, while technically accurate, is arguably one of the most craven positions one can take on the sprawling, virtually unregulated funding mechanism we call the 340B Program.

Moreover, it is a position being taken by an “org” that is almost entirely devoid of information about who they are.

When looking into the history of 340B Matters, what ADAP Advocacy was able to find was the following:

1. 340B Matters is not, according to the federal government, a 501(c) non-profit organization. While this is not, in and of itself, illegal, the “.org” URL domain was originally intended for non-commercial ventures and organizations. As such, when a website is created using the “.org” extension, the safe assumption is that the website one is visiting is that of a non-profit or charitable organization. Instead, the website is owned by Han Kingler, a partner at the lobbying firm Black Diamond Strategies, who, according to the 340B Matters website’s privacy policy, serves as the Executive Director of the organization (340B Matters, 2016).
2. In addition to not being a registered non-profit, 340B Matters is “proudly sponsored” by The Craneware Group, a for-profit organization that specializes in “340B solutions”—a fanciful way of saying, “Maximizing 340B revenues for providers and increasing profits” (The Craneware Group, 2026). This, of course, runs counter to the 340B Matters tagline, “Patients Over Profits. The Craneware Group, while legally domiciled in Scotland, has a U.S. headquarters in Deerfield Beach, FL, part of the greater Boca Raton/Ft. Lauderdale area. The “solutions” they offer are software-based applications that focus on maximizing profits and decreasing overhead costs, including margins, revenues, and workforce.
3. 340B Matters obfuscates its ownership and operational team by creating a “Who We Are” page that provides the following explanation of the organization: “340B Matters seeks to protect this vital program for nonprofit healthcare facilities from those that would severely restrict access to the 340B program. We support patients over profits” (340B Matters, 2025). This page includes no information about who founded the organization, whether the organization has a Board of Directors, nor mentions any employees, contractors, or executive leadership. Nor does their website indicate that any healthcare providers or patient advocacy groups are affiliated with 340B Matters.

Essentially, what ADAP Advocacy found is that every aspect of the 340B Matters “organization” operates for one purpose:

To continue the unchecked growth of the 340B program. That explosive growth is concerning because it hasn't alleviated the medical debt crisis in this country, but also because it sets the stage for a program that is too big to fail.

Photo Source: ADAP Advocacy

Again, the aforementioned social media post is technically correct: there is no statutory obligation for 340B covered entities to provide discounted medications to the patients they purport to serve.

And this is just one of myriad problems with the 340B Program.

The program was designed to ensure that patients who could otherwise neither access nor afford healthcare services, particularly those living with HIV/AIDS, hemophilia, and Black Lung disease.

What it has become, however, is a revenue cash cow for unscrupulous hospitals, Federally-Qualified Health Centers, and other covered entities that, because of the fact that there are virtually no rules or enforcement mechanisms for the 340B Program itself, are able to get away with misappropriating 340B funds to support various endeavors that run counter to the statute’s intended purposes, including (but not limited to):

1. The inflation of executive compensation packages, as documented on 340bmap.org
2. The building, renovation, or upgrading of facilities in ways that do not improve access to healthcare services (e.g., adding water and other decorative features to existing hospitals)
3. The opening of new facilities or purchase of practices in higher-income areas that will generate greater revenue while simultaneously shuttering existing facilities and practices in lower-income areas
4. And not to mention, subsidizing a college football coach's salary, or funding electoral ballot initiatives, or purchasing private learjets

Photo Source: ADAP Advocacy

“Organizations” such as 340B Matters create content that is designed to make it seem that pharmaceutical companies and proponents of 340B reform are attempting to shut down healthcare facilities by taking away 340B revenues. They develop content like this to make it seem that only one side of the equation—the side of those who actually provide the 340B revenues to them in order to continue offering the medications through Medicare markets—are attempting to cut off your healthcare services just to make a profit.

What they consistently fail to mention is that, aside from AIDS Drug Assistance Programs and hemophilia clinics, 340B covered entities are not required to provide any transparency about the amount of their annual revenues the 340B Program accounts for, how those revenues are spent, or whether or not lower-income patients actually benefit from those revenues in any appreciable manner.

Disclaimer: All of the funders of the ADAP Advocacy Association are publicly available online at https://www.adapadvocacy.org/support.html. 

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association; rather, they provide a neutral platform for the author to promote open, honest discussion of public health-related issues and updates.

References:

[1] 340B Matters. (2016, June 01). Privacy policy. 340B Matters. https://340bmatters.org/Privacy-Policy/

[2] 340B Matters. (2025). Who we are. 340B Matters. https://340bmatters.org/who-are-we/

[3] 340B Matters. (2026, March 20). Welcome to Friday Pharma Lies, a series debunking the drug industry’s falsehoods about the 340B Program. Lie: 340B discounts are [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AwvuRMx8R/

[4] The Craneware Group. (2026). Our Story. Deerfield Beach, FL: The Craneware Group: 

Coverage You...Can’t...Count On

By: Marcus J. Hopkins, Health Policy Lead Consultant, ADAP Advocacy, and Matt Toresco, Chief Executive Officer, Archo Advocacy

Imagine a healthcare system where patients pay monthly premiums to maintain access to a plan. They pay co-pays before they see their physicians. They pay 100% of the cost of their visits and tests to meet a “deductible” before their insurance, which they pay to access, agrees to cover anything. Then they pay again at the pharmacy counter when they pick up medications. Over the course of a year, they end up spending more than $20,000 on healthcare costs. This scenario is the reality for many patients living in the United States, but it only gets worse.

Every step of the way, they meet resistance from the insurance company they pay to cover their healthcare costs. Prior authorization requirements. Drug formularies that exclude the medications their physicians prescribe. Denials of coverage for services contractually covered under their plans. A labyrinthine series of hoops and paperwork for which they are personally responsible, all to prove to the company that they pay that the care those insurers promised to cover should be covered.

Now, imagine living with a chronic disease and attempting to navigate all of these costs and hurdles while enduring the physical, mental, and emotional toll of just trying to survive, all while being told that this is the best healthcare system in the world and that they should feel lucky.

Those living in one of the 72 countries where leaders have refused to implement this “model” should consider themselves lucky (World Population Review, 2026).

In 2025, Americans who purchase health insurance from their respective marketplaces got the news that their health insurance premiums would be increasing by an average of 21.7% in 2026, while those who receive coverage through their employers saw increases ranging from 6% to 7% (Holahan, O’Brien, & Kennedy, 2025), not because those price increases were warranted, but because Congressional leaders failed to extend enhance premium tax credits they implemented at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those enhanced premium tax credits impacted roughly 22 million people—about 90% of those who enroll in insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces (Iacurci, 2026)—a number that is both immense and yet just ~6% of the total U.S. population.

That’s correct:

A policy affecting just 6% of the U.S. population led to a nearly 22% increase in marketplace premiums.

According to recent polling by the Pew Research Center, 93% of respondents identified the cost of healthcare as their top economic concern (Figure 1).

Figure 1 – The Cost of Health Care, Good and Housing Are Top Economic Concerns for Americans

Photo Source: Van Green, Cerda, & Shepard, 2026

Meanwhile, health insurance companies, such as CVS Health, UnitedHealth, and Elevance have seen annual revenue growth ranging from 7.8% (CVS) to 12% (UnitedHealth and Elevance), all while implementing artificial intelligence (AI) tools not to improve the quality of care, but to ensure that their profits are maximized by denying care (Mello et al., 2026).

The truth about the American healthcare system is that it does not ensure the health of those stuck in it but rather ensures profits for insurance companies. Worse still, the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—so blithely named by Congress to suggest that it would make healthcare affordable for Americans—was designed in such a way that the system was made worse.

In 2023, researchers at KFF discovered that health insurance companies providing coverage under Medicare Advantage plans denied 3.2 million prior authorization claims—roughly 6.4% of all prior authorization requests—and that just 11.7% of those denials were appealed. Of those appeals, 81.7% were successfully appealed in the patients’ favor (Biniek et al., 2025).

Research conducted in 2025 by PlusInc found that, of 36.7% of respondents who had appealed their insurers’ decision to deny coverage of a service, medication, or medical device, 70% reported that they were ultimately able to get that denial partially or fully reversed in their favor (Macsata, et al., 2025).

Photo Source: PlusInc

Despite this high success rate, health insurers don’t make the appeals process easy. Appeals often require multiple attempts, mounds of paperwork, and seemingly endless wrangling just to get a health insurance company to do what they promised.

So, what do American patients get for paying the equivalent of a minimum wage annual income—nearly twice as much as other comparable governments pay per patient?

When compared to eleven other comparable nations (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom):

• The lowest life expectancy rates
• Exponentially higher maternal mortality (death) rates
• Exponentially higher hospitalization rates for congestive heart failure and diabetes
• Significantly lower percentages of residents who have a regular source of healthcare services
• Significantly lower physician-to-patient ratios (Telesford et al., 2025).

All of these outcomes indicate that our system isn’t working. Moreover, it hasn’t been working for a while. The data tell one story, but the lived experiences of American patients tell another.

The Number Nobody's Asking About

The West Health-Gallup survey published in November 2025 highlights 47% of Americans fear they can't afford healthcare. That's not a statistic. That's a system signaling collapse.

Photo Source: West Health-Gallup

The survey shows family premiums hit $26,993 this year, with workers contributing $6,850 from their paychecks. Most employees don't realize they're paying this hidden tax because they only look at their take-home amount.

Healthcare costs are rising by 6% annually, while general inflation is at 2.7% and wage growth is at 4%. The math doesn't work. It can't work. It was never designed to work for patients.

What "High-Performing" Actually Means

The survey ranked states by healthcare performance. Even in the top-performing states, 15% of residents can't afford their medications. In the lowest-ranked states, that number hits 29%.

Here's what nobody's saying: insurance coverage and patient outcomes are fundamentally disconnected.

The current model limits physicians to 5-7 minutes per patient. They see 40+ patients daily just to keep revenue flowing. There's no time to understand complicated issues or surgical histories. Physician apathy isn't a character flaw. It's a business model that no physician wants to practice but has no time or pull to do otherwise!

The Baseline Budgeting Trap

Baseline budgeting uses the previous year's budget as the starting point for next year, without evaluating fraud, waste, or abuse. It is a trap!

Patients are never part of these internal budgeting processes. Nobody asks how families fared paying for healthcare last year. The system expects you to shoulder the load and keep paying higher premiums.

Pricing gets set without patient insight. Financial constraints don't factor into the equation. The survey shows 35% of Americans—91 million people—report they couldn't access quality healthcare if they needed it today. That's financial toxicity at scale.

The Vertical Integration Stranglehold

Three PBMs now control 80% of all prescriptions in America. They're vertically integrated with major insurers—CVS/Caremark with Aetna, Express Scripts with Cigna, OptumRx with UnitedHealthcare.

These companies own the PBMs, specialty pharmacies, retail pharmacies, surgery centers, and even provider practices. They make tens of billions in quarterly profit while premiums climb year after year.

There is too little competition. The insurance companies have amassed so much power and lobbying money that they get everything they want. That's not in the best interest of patients or clinicians.

The ACA Perfect Storm

The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans let the ACA subsidies expire. Their lapse will result in premiums doubling for more than 20 million Americans. The average subsidy recipient can expect to see annual premium payments jump 114%—from $888 to $1,904.

But here's the question nobody's asking: Why are premiums so high in the first place, and why have they continued to rise when the risk pool expanded post-ACA implementation?

The ACA was sold as competition and cost reduction. Instead, it guaranteed customers to insurance companies…subsidized by taxpayers. Since its founding, costs have only increased to insane levels. Nothing has gotten cheaper, even though everyone must now have health insurance by law.

Based on pure economics and math alone, that should not be. This clearly points to crony capitalism, where winners are allowed to win as much as they want, at the expense of everyone else.

What Happens When Fear Becomes Reality

The survey shows that 55% of Americans cite long wait times as a reason they do not seek care. Another 27% mention work schedule conflicts. One-third skipped recommended medical procedures due to cost.

When financial barriers become reality for millions simultaneously, people skip appointments or delay care. This leads to worsening symptoms, disease progression, and medication non-compliance.

All leading to worse health outcomes, decreased presenteeism at work, and decreased productivity. This isn't a healthcare crisis. It's an economic crisis. Healthcare in its current form is just economics. The American healthcare system needs a reboot!

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association; rather, they provide a neutral platform for the author to promote open, honest discussion of public health-related issues and updates.

References:

[1] Biniek, J. F., Sroczynski, N., Freed, M., & Neuman, T. (2025, January 28). Medicare Advantage insurers made nearly 50 million prior authorization determinations in 2023. Washington, DC: KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicare/nearly-50-million-priorauthorization-requests-were-sent-to-medicare-advantage-insurers-in-2023/

[2] Daniller, A. (2025, December 10). Most Americans say government has a responsibility to ensure health care coverage. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center: Reseach Topics: Politics & Policy: Political Issues: Health Policy. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/12/10/most-americans-say-government-has-a-responsibility-to-ensure-health-care-coverage/

[3] Gonya, D. (2017, January 10). From The Start, Obama Struggled With Fallout From A Kind Of Fake News. Washington, DC:  National Public Radio: All Things Considered. https://www.npr.org/2017/01/10/509164679/from-the-start-obama-struggled-with-fallout-from-a-kind-of-fake-news

[4] Health Affairs Research Brief. (2022, October 06). The Role Of Administrative Waste In Excess US Health Spending. Health Affairs. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/briefs/role-administrative-waste-excess-us-health-spending

[5] Holahan, J., O’Brien, C., & Kennedy, N. (2025, December 18). Understanding the Extraordinary Increase in ACA Premiums in 2026. Washington, DC: Urban Institute: Research: Publication. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/understanding-extraordinary-increase-aca-premiums-2026

[6] Iacurci, G. (2026, February 24). The ACA health coverage subsidy lapse hit 22 million people. Here are some of their stories. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/24/aca-enhanced-subsidy-expiration-effects.html

[7] Macsata, B. M., Hopkins, M. J., Lathan, V. & Laws, J. (2025, November). Navigating Healthcare: Findings from Quantitative Patient Survey in the United States. Washington, DC: PlusInc. https://www.plusinc.org/s/2025_PLUSINC_Project_Prior_Auth_Workplan_112425-FINAL-NAVIGATING-HEALTHCARE-ne7x.pdf

[8] Mello, M. M., Trotsyuk, A. A., Mahamadou, A. J. D., & Char, D. (2026, January). The AI Arms Race In Health Insurance Utilization Review: Promises Of Efficiency And Risks Of Supercharged Flaws. Health Affairs, 45(1), 6-13. ttps://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00897

[9]Telesford, I., Wager, E., & Cox, C. (2025, October 06). How does the quality of the U.S. health system compare to other countries? Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/quality-u-s-healthcare-system-compare-countries/

[10] Toresco, M. (2026, March 12). The Number Nobody's Asking About. Archo Advocate Brief. https://archo-advocate-brief.beehiiv.com/p/the-number-nobody-s-asking-about

[11] Van Green, T., Cerda, A., & Shepard, S. (2026, February 04). A Year Into Trump’s Second Term, Americans’ Views of the Economy Remain Negative. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center: Research Topics: Economy & Work. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/02/04/a-year-into-trumps-second-term-americans-views-of-the-economy-remain-negative/

[12] World Population Review. (2026). Countries with Universal Healthcare 2026. Walnut, CA: World Population Review: Country Rankings. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-universal-healthcare