PI Action alerts & updates ... 2001

AIDS Drug Assistance Program Facing Serious Budget Shortfall

Urge President Bush and your U.S. Senators to Support Emergency Supplemental Funding

June 14, 2001 — Advocates and many Members of Congress are urging President Bush to support an emergency supplemental appropriation of $50 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) for the current Fiscal Year (October 1, 2000-September 30, 2001). This program provides treatments for low-income people with HIV/AIDS with no or inadequate health insurance. It is considered a lifeline for many HIV positive people who otherwise would not have access to therapies. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on a supplemental funding request for ADAP next week.

In the last appropriations bill, ADAP received $60 million less than projected as needed to provide standard of care for its clients. In addition, the number of new clients and the costs of drugs continue to rise, putting an additional strain on many state ADAPs. Many programs are expected to face serious problems in the next few months without an emergency supplemental. According to a recent report by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), nearly half of all states have indicated that they might have to place emergency restrictions on their programs this year, such as implementing or expanding waiting lists, capping services, and/or making cuts to the list of available drugs. Currently, there are ADAP waiting lists in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota. Even states with the most comprehensive ADAPs such as California, New York, and Pennsylvania are expected to feel the effects of the budget shortfall.

Treatment Action Network members have played a major role in urging your elected officials to support adequate funding for this important program. Your help is needed again to persuade President Bush and the Senate to support this emergency funding so that people continue accessing HIV/AIDS treatments!

Action needed:
Call or email President Bush immediately. Due to the urgency of the situation, phone calls and emails are recommended, since they will be considered quicker. Urge him to support a $50 million emergency supplemental increase in Fiscal Year 2001 spending for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Be personal—if you or someone you care about uses this program, let him know. You can use the enclosed sample call/email to help craft your message.

Also, call or email your two U.S. Senators immediately. Ask them to support the $50 million emergency increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and to convey that message to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. If your Senator is on that committee (see list below), it is extremely important to contact him or her!

Contact Information:
President George W. Bush
Phone: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
You can find contact information for your U.S. Senators by accessing their individual websites through www.senate.gov

Sample phone message/email (to President Bush):

“I am calling/writing to urge President Bush to support a Fiscal Year 2001 emergency supplemental appropriation of $50 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This program provides HIV/AIDS treatments to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. It is facing a serious budget shortfall and we need your help to make sure that people with HIV/AIDS continue to be able to access their treatments.”

Sample phone message/email (to U.S. Senators):

“I am calling/writing to urge Senator __________ to support a Fiscal Year 2001 emergency supplemental appropriation of $50 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Please convey that support to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who will soon vote on this request. This program provides HIV/AIDS treatments to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. It is facing a serious budget shortfall and we need your help to make sure that people with HIV/AIDS continue to be able to access their treatments.”

Senate Appropriations Committee Members:

Democrats:
Robert Byrd, WV (Chair)
Daniel Inouye, HI
Ernest Hollings, SC
Patrick Leahy, VT
Tom Harkin, IA
Barbara Mikulski, MD
Harry Reid, NV
Herb Kohl, WI
Patty Murray, WA
Byron Dorgan, ND
Dianne Feinstein, CA
Richard Durbin, IL

Republicans:
Ted Stevens, AK (Ranking Member)
Thad Cochran, MS
Arlen Specter, PA
Pete Domenici, NM
Christopher Bond, MO
Mitch McConnell, KY
Conrad Burns, MT
Richard Shelby, AL
Judd Gregg, NH
Robert Bennett, UT
Ben Nighthorse Campbell, CO
Larry Craig, ID
Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX
Jon Kyl, AZ