Homosexual Men: A Demographic Study

The purpose of this dissertation isto assess the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care continuum. This dissertationwill focuson addressing the gap in current research by improving understanding of the impacts of the ACA on care for individuals living with HIV. It is estimated that over 1 million Americans live with HIV (Kates, 2012). Though the number of HIV infections has stabilized at around 50,000 annually, there are reports of new strains of HIV arising among homosexuals (Kates, 2012). People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are less likely to be insured due to low socio-economic status (SES), therefore, rely on Medicaid for insurance coverage. Statistics indicate that only 25% of PLWHA are virally

HIV has affected people all across the world. HIV comes with physical and mental symptoms. The body symptoms include skin flaking off, being dry, skin peeling off (Saliba 23) , fingernails falling off (32), and weight loss (14). Mentally it is hard to sleep, people become weak, and are tired all the time (23). People all across the world are infected with this disease, and the problem with this is the fact that most do not even know they have it. The most people who are infected each year are African Americans, gays, or bisexuals. 10,315 African Americans were infected in 2015. The U.S.A. has estimated about 1.1 million are infected with the disease. Equally to about 12,333 deaths happened in 2014 from AIDS related diseases, and 6,721 deaths from AIDS directly. Although there are a large amount of people getting infected, on the other hand eighteen percent of the population with HIV is declining since 2008-2014 (“U.S. Statistics”). In the world about 33.2 million people worldwide have HIV, with 22.5 million people in sub Saharan Africa are living with this condition, one out of nine people who live in South America have HIV or AIDS (Saliba 8).

These community’s views changed, when role model individuals like Magic Johnson came forward to declare his HIV status. The society as a whole came to the realization that the disease is an epidemic. The disease has now turn into an epidemic within the African American community, infection rate has gone up twice the amount when compared to other groups, white and Latinos. The United States is the highest fundraiser for HIV/AIDS globally, but the U.S is facing a major ongoing HIV epidemic, the society is less educated, struggled from societal pressure due to stigmatization, health disparities, and poverty. The shame and discrimination continue to hinder people's access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services, driving the cycle of new infections. Social, economic, and legal barriers all contributed to prevention of

In 2000, “the CDC reports that 774,467 Americans are estimated to have AIDS, with the estimated annual rate of HIV infections in the U.S. remaining roughly constant at 40,000 since the early 1990s” (Riccussi, 2002). With this statistic, the department of public help set Dr. Gayle as president of the U.S Centers for disease control and prevention to try and find something that would lower these numbers. However, at the beginning of this program, economics become a main issue. “From 1985 to 1992, the nation also experienced a resurgence of TB. One of the reasons was the

The federal government gives $20.8 billion for health care services and treatment for people with HIV and AIDS (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). Medicare, followed by Medicaid are some of the largest funders for treatment and care for HIV and AIDS (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). The third largest source of funding for HIV care, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funds $2.3 billion (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). Ryan White also has an AIDS Drug Assistance Program that funds $900.3 million that provides access for HIV medications for those with the disease (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). There are many other organizations that donate large amounts of funding to HIV and AIDS research. There is $3.1 billion that go towards cash and housing for those with HIV and AIDS (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). $335 million is funded by the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). HIV prevention has a $919 million budget which is the smallest category of funding (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). $789 million of funding is provided to the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). $2.7 billion is funded for HIV research at many different agencies (U.S. Federal Funding for HIV/AIDS, 2016). $2.6 billion goes to the National

According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV (about 14 percent of which are unaware of their infection and another 1.1 million have progressed to AIDS. Over the past decade, the number of HIV cases in the US has increased, however, the annual number of cases remains stable at about 50, 000 new cases per year. Within these estimates, certain groups tend to carry the burden of these disease, particularly the gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and among race/ethnic groups, Blacks/African American males remain disproportionately affected. (CDC)

The most important point raised in the film is the amount of stigma directed toward homosexual males. They are the first of the population to get AIDS and are heavily blamed for the development of the disease. In San Francisco, there are large groups of sexually active males engaging in relations with other males and unknowingly contributing to the spread of early-stage HIV (Vandevyer, C., 1993). Men are just beginning to develop their sexual freedom and gay rights in the community, and are already receiving stigma for their lifestyle and behaviors prior to the outbreak. The term, “gay cancer”, is adopted by the media to describe the immunodeficiency disease, enhancing the perception that AIDS is endemic to the homosexual community. This

The healthcare system should primarily be concerned with cutting down the cost of healthcare that should put into context the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs. However, reliable models have shown that using the HIV prophylactic drug drastically cuts down the cost of healthcare in risky populations such as gays, known to engage in multiple relationships. However, there is need to compare the cost of other interventions and come up with the most economical approach that contain the cost of care (Hall, Hall & Cockerell, 2011).

Throughout life, each individual is shaped by meaningful interactions and events that he or she encounters. On the other hand, viewing their life from the life course perspective, which entails biological, psychological, and social factors that act independently, cumulatively, and interactively to mold one’s life from conception to death, allows one to understand the individual from a clearer perspective (Hutchinson, 2015). As social workers, we are obligated to enhance the client’s well-being by attending to his or needs while taking into consideration the various factors, such as person-in-environment, biopsychosocial factors, sociocultural factors, or life stages, that influence the client (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). We must be able to use the life course perspective to understand our clients and provide him or her with the essential social services.

Throughout life, each individual is shaped by meaningful interactions and events that he or she encounters. On the other hand, viewing their life from the life course perspective, which entails biological, psychological, and social factors that act independently, cumulatively, and interactively to mold one’s life from conception to death, allows one to understand the individual from a clearer perspective (Hutchinson, 2015). As social workers, we are obligated to enhance the client’s well-being by attending to his or needs while taking into consideration the various factors, such as person-in-environment, biopsychosocial factors, sociocultural factors, or life stages, that influence the client (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). We must be able to use the life course perspective to understand our clients and provide him or her with the essential social services.

The study “The Relationships between Life Events and Mental Health in Homosexual Men” by Michael W. Ross ¬¬¬goes into detail about previous research, relevant information, and his purpose within the introduction. Ross explains that that there is a large amount of literature on the testing of homosexual populations. While some studies have found differences in psychological adjustment between homosexual and heterosexual groups whereas others have not. One piece of previous research was done by Atkinson who found that gay men with or without HIV infection had significantly higher rates of anxiety and major depressive illness throughout their lives. Weinberg and Williams study demonstrated that extrinsic factors (nutrition, heat, cold, altitude, clothing, and extended operations) caused lower psychosocial adjustment by examining homosexual men in three societies with different reactions to homosexuality, which ranged from relatively accepting to unaccepting. However, there were no significant differences detected on measures of psychological adjustment. The author describes one main piece of background information that is relevant to this study. Sagarin and Kelly who summarize the contradiction that one cannot maintain that homosexual men are no different in psychological adjustment than heterosexual men, and that psychological maladjustment in homosexual men is a result of social stigmatization. This information is relevant because there is probably a significant relationship

Okay, Here lately I have perceived that most gay guys within my area are not ready to settle down for their own benefits or because they have been hurt so much that they can't trust anyone else, However at my age I am ready to settle down, I want a career, I want to better myself and most of all, I want a partner who shares the same relationship qualities as I do. When I made the decision to come out gay, it was to prove that I am no different than anyone else besides the fact that I like the same gender, Just as a straight couples wants a Real relationship, I thought that is what gay guys wanted too and yes there is some out there who actually do want a Real relationship but most guys who I have encountered shares the same characteristics,

Many people in the 20th century aren't understood and respected like a normal human being. One real popular issue being faced now days is homosexual relationship issues. Homosexual Dating- Marked by sexual interest in the same sex as oneself (The merriam webster dictionary). Homosexual dating might begin from genetically determined or by choice. Homosexual isn't a mental health problem , but it can become one due to others thoughts.

Heterosexual orientation in many countries, and in many different cultures are the norm. While homosexual orientation is not. These negative reactions towards gays and lesbians like most things, have been learned. The social influences that we are exposed to affects how we act towards homosexuals. The pressure of what it means to be a boy or a girl is highly placed upon us at very early age. It helps us shape our minds about what it means to be a male or a female, and what we think about gender. Thus shaping our cognitive influences on to what it means to masculine and feminine and liking someone of the same sex is not believed to be a part of the status quo. Another reason is that we stereotype humans into generalized characteristics and

South Africa has the largest population of people living with HIV/ AIDS. In 2016, South Africa had an estimated 7.1 million people living with HIV/ AIDS [1]. This epidemic has ripple effects across micro & macro–levels of the economy. HIV/AIDS negatively impacts labor supply, total labor productivity & exports among other economic channels. Given the significant impact this disease has on the economy, this is a top priority for the business community and the government.