What HIV Teaches Us: The Need for Affordable Health Care

HIV and COVID-19 have both laid bare that stark racial disparities exist in population health and in access to quality medical care in the US.

Comparing COVID-19 to HIV is, in many ways, like comparing apples to oranges: HIV is transmitted primarily through sexual contact or intravenous drug use, while COVID-19 appears to be airborne, transmissible through coughing and sneezing.

Yet, they both expose the underlying, often unspoken, issues afflicting the social worlds in which we live. For example, HIV and COVID-19 have both laid bare that stark racial disparities exist in population health and in access to quality medical care in the United States.

Written by Erin V. Moore. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle.

Video production by Laura Seeger and Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Audio production by Paul Kotheimer, College of Arts & Sciences Academic Technology Services. The Origins' editorial team includes Editors Nicholas Breyfogle, Steven Conn and David Steigerwald; Managing Editor Brionna Mendoza

 We thank the Stanton Foundation for their funding of this and other Origins projects.

Ohio Humanities Logo

This content is made possible, in part, by Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this content do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.