The Ryan White Program, the country’s largest HIV-specific grant program and third largest federal funding source for HIV/AIDS healthcare, is set to expire in its current form on September 30, 2013. Over half a million people are estimated to receive care through the Ryan White Program.

Since the program was created in 1990, Ryan White has been reauthorized four times, with each authorization making changes to the delivery or scope of the program to reflect the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and medical advancements since 1990. For example, during the 2009 Reauthorization the program implemented a new goal to administer five-million HIV tests to help identify people who have HIV but are unaware of their status.

This year, as the Ryan White Program is set to undergo its through fifth reauthorization, there are a few major changes in the HIV/AIDS landscape that may alter the way the program’s care and support services. These changes include: a shift toward treatment as prevention; the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and its expanded coverage for millions of low-income families and individuals; and the country’s first ever “comprehensive” National HIV/AIDS strategy.

To help breakdown the needs and possibilities of the pending reauthorization, the Kaiser Family Foundation recently released a report titled “Updating the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program For A New Era: Key Issues & Questions For the Future.”

The report details “key issues and questions facing the program and explores a range of potential changes for policymakers and others to consider.”

You can access the report here.

Follow the Update blog on Twitter @housingworks.