AIDS, public policy and biomedical research

The current epidemic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) raises numerous public policy concerns for the medical community. The issues can be divided into two groups. Those concerns which require both immediate action and results are referred to as short-term issues. Those issues whose results will not be forthcoming for an indefinite time are called long-term issues. Short-term issues include the accuracy of reporting cases of AIDS, patient confidentiality, conditions of third-party reimbursement for health care, the breech of ethical responsibility of health care workers in caring for AIDS patients, public education and the problems of providing care in a disease of unknown cause and cure. Long-term issues focus on the organization of AIDS research--the role of federal health agencies, provisions for rebudgeting funds and medical research personnel, and the coordination of disparate research efforts. The issues raised by AIDS are discussed within the context of the history of the epidemic in an attempt to articulate unresolved problems and to encourage debate within the medical community.