Impacts of Medicaid Expansion on Health Insurance and Coverage Transitions among Women with or at Risk for HIV in the United States.

BACKGROUND: As employment, financial status, and residential location change, people can gain, lose, or switch health insurance coverage, which may affect care access and health. Among Women's Interagency HIV Study participants with HIV and participants at risk for HIV attending semiannual visits at 10 U.S. sites, we examined whether the prevalence of coverage types and rates of coverage changes differed by HIV status and Medicaid expansion in their states of residence. METHODS: Geocoded addresses were merged with dates of Medicaid expansion to indicate, at each visit, whether women lived in Medicaid expansion states. Age-adjusted rate ratios (RRs) and rate differences of self-reported insurance changes were estimated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2018, 3,341 women (67% Black, 71% with HIV) contributed 43,329 visits at aged less than 65 years (27% under Medicaid expansion). Women with and women without HIV differed in their proportions of visits at which no coverage (14% vs. 19%; p < .001) and Medicaid enrollment (61% vs. 51%; p < .001) were reported. Women in Medicaid expansion states reported no coverage and Medicaid enrollment at 4% and 69% of visits, respectively, compared with 20% and 53% of visits for those in nonexpansion states. Women with HIV had a lower rate of losing coverage than those without HIV (RR, 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70 to 0.95). Compared with nonexpansion, Medicaid expansion was associated with lower coverage loss (RR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.72) and greater coverage gain (RR, 2.32; 95% CI, 2.02 to 2.67), with no differences by HIV status. CONCLUSIONS: Both women with HIV and women at high risk for HIV in Medicaid expansion states had lower coverage loss and greater coverage gain; therefore, Medicaid expansion throughout the United States should be expected to stabilize insurance for women and improve downstream health outcomes.

Use of Nonantiretroviral Medications That May Impact Neurocognition: Patterns and Predictors in a Large, Long-Term HIV Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive impairment is a frequent and often disabling comorbidity of HIV infection. In addition to antiretroviral therapies, individuals with HIV infection may commonly use nonantiretroviral medications that are known to cause neurocognitive adverse effects (NC-AE). The contribution of NC-AE to neurocognitive impairment is rarely considered in the context of HIV and could explain part of the variability in neurocognitive performance among individuals with HIV. SETTING: Women's Interagency HIV Study, a prospective, multisite, observational study of US women with and without HIV. METHODS: After a literature review, 79 medications (excluding statins) with NC-AE were identified and reported by Women's Interagency HIV Study participants. We examined factors associated with self-reported use of these medications over a 10-year period. Generalized estimating equations for binary outcomes were used to assess sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics associated with NC-AE medication use. RESULTS: Three thousand three hundred women (71% with HIV) and data from ∼42,000 visits were studied. HIV infection was associated with NC-AE medication use (odds ratio = 1.52; 95% confidence interval: 1.35 to 1.71). After adjustment for HIV infection status, other predictors of NC-AE medication use included having health insurance, elevated depressive symptoms, prior clinical AIDS, noninjection recreational drug use, and an annual household income of <$12,000 (Ps < 0.004). NC-AE medication use was less likely among women who drank 1-7 or 8-12 alcoholic drinks/week (vs. abstaining) (P < 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: HIV infection was associated with NC-AE medication use, which may influence determinations of HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment. Providers should consider the impact of NC-AE medications when evaluating patients with HIV and concurrent neurocognitive symptoms.

Response to lamivudine-zidovudine plus abacavir twice daily in antiretroviral-naive, incarcerated patients with HIV infection taking directly observed treatment.

Prison inmates with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can be difficult to treat because of the complexity and intrusiveness of many combination antiretroviral therapy regimens. NZTA4007, a 24-week open-label, single-arm clinical trial involving 108 antiretroviral therapy-naive, incarcerated, HIV-infected persons, was conducted to evaluate a compact regimen (4 tablets per day) consisting of 1 lamivudine-zidovudine (150 mg/300 mg) combination tablet (COM) and one 300-mg abacavir tablet administered twice daily under directly observed treatment conditions. In the intent-to-treat observed analysis, the plasma HIV type 1 (HIV-1) RNA level remained at < or =400 copies/mL in 85% of the patients and at < 50 copies/mL in 75% of the patients. Median change from baseline was -2.41 log(10) copies/mL for the HIV-1 RNA level and +111 cells/mm(3) for the CD4 cell count. The overall adherence to prescribed doses was 94% for patients who remained enrolled in the study. COM-abacavir given twice daily was generally well tolerated, and adverse events prompted only 4 patients to withdraw from the study.