i'm also the director of research at the usc shafer center for health policy and economics. the opinions they offer are my own and don't represent the views of the university of southern california or shafer center. i would like to start with the story. in december of 1984, a young boy from indiana named ryan white was the most with a.i.d.s. . a result of a transfusion with infected blood. in the immediate wake of his passing in 1990, congress passed the ryan white care act ensuring affordable care for hiv a.i.d.s. patients. the value of this program was fully realized five years later when highly active antiretroviral therapy emerged as a life-saving treatment for patients with hiv. nine out of 10 patients receiving care through the ryan right program enjoy viral loads solo they are no longer infectious. thanks to breakthrough medical innovation and forward thinking public policy, hiv-positive patients can expect to live well into their 70s and beyond but impressing patient access to expensive affordable care means little when there is no cures or treatments to access. brea