Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - November 9, 2006
-- US' Largest AIDS Group Repeats Call for an Additional $100M Increase in Funding for $2B Nationwide Program and Immediate Re-Authorization of Crucial AIDS Legislation
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- As members return to Washington post-mid-term elections, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care serving thousands of patients at 14 healthcare centers in California and Florida, called on Congress to prevent needless deaths by quickly appropriating an additional $100 million for-and then re-authorizing-the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act (RWCA), the federal law that provides the principal source of funding for AIDS care and services nationwide. Despite the fact that a bipartisan bill cleared the House by a 3 to 1 margin in September, re-authorization of the $2 billion CARE Act stalled in the Senate and was not acted upon before the Congress recessed on September 30th. The delay in revamping and reauthorizing this crucial AIDS funding has left the distribution of millions of dollars, and thus future services for hundreds of thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS, in bureaucratic limbo.
Earlier this week it was suggested that this political paralysis and bureaucratic limbo may have contributed to its first real victims when it was revealed that three patients with HIV/AIDS had died while on waiting lists for AIDS drugs in South Carolina. The proposed, bipartisan bill seeks to update the CARE Act by prioritizing core medical services, reducing bureaucracy and promoting a more equitable distribution of funds in order to address the disparities that result in such waiting lists.
"We urge the Senate to make preventing needless AIDS deaths a priority by increasing funding for the CARE Act by an additional $100 million and passing this crucial bipartisan legislation immediately," said Michael Weinstein, AHF's President. "The tragedy of what happened in South Carolina not only demonstrates the urgent need for re-authorization, but also illustrates the need to pass the bill in its current form which increases funding for core medical services, reduces bureaucracy and promotes a more equitable distribution of funds across the nation. We need to ensure that the CARE Act reflects the fact that HIV/AIDS has largely become a chronic, medical condition. An additional $100 million will help meet the rising demand for lifesaving drugs and alleviate cuts to established programs as the CARE Act seeks to serve people who are living with the disease today."
The CARE Act was first introduced in 1990 and is reauthorized every five years. The bill was set for its most recent reauthorization in September 2005. The delay in re-authorization places funding for life-saving HIV/AIDS programs and services across the nation in jeopardy.
Regarding the situation in South Carolina, The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that:
"For fiscal year 2004 funding, Connecticut had 5,363 AIDS cases while South Carolina had 5,563 AIDS cases ... Connecticut received $26,797,308 ($4,997 per AIDS case) in combined Title I and Title II (RWCA) funding, while South Carolina, with 200 more cases, received $20,705,328 (3,722 per AIDS case). Connecticut received 29 percent more funding than South Carolina, a difference of $6,091,980 or $1,275 per AIDS case."
SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
061109
PR061109
Copyright © 2006 - PRNewswire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through PRNewswire, Permissions, 810 Seventh Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10019 http://www.prnewswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .