The federal response to the AIDS epidemic.

The response of the U.S. government to the AIDS epidemic is reviewed within the context of health policy making in the U.S.A. in general and the reduced role of the federal government in domestic social programs in particular. This review involves multiple levels of government, the relationship of government to the private sector, the diffusion of authority within a federal system, the long delays in policy implementation because of the absence of mechanisms to deal with emergency situations, the tendency to fund the response to AIDS from reallocation of appropriated funds, thereby creating financial distress for existing programs. The federal response to AIDS is considered uncoordinated, insufficient and inadequate in particular with respect to the support of public health education and the financing of health care for AIDS patients. These are needed while a vaccine may still be years away.