In the news ... 2006 archive
Project Inform’s Statement on
Passage of Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization
December 13, 2006
Project Inform joins our advocacy partners in thanking Senators
Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Joe
Barton (R-TX) and John Dingell (D-MI), and their staff, for crafting
a three-year compromise bill to reauthorize the lifesaving Ryan
White CARE Act that was supported by advocates in all parts of the
country.
Because this legislation was developed under the premise of having
“winners” and “losers” (i.e., that in a
relatively flat funding environment, money must be shifted from
one geographical area in order to increase funding for another area),
Project Inform was never able to fully support any version of the
bill. However, we view the legislation as a thoughtful compromise
and are pleased with many aspects, including:
- The counting of HIV cases, along with AIDS cases, to determine
funding allocations. This will benefit states, particularly in
the South, with emerging epidemics that have been struggling to
provide care and treatment services to all in need.
- The inclusion of code-based HIV data as many states transition
to a names-based system.
- Protection of all Title I jurisdictions during the lifetime
of bill.
- Hold-harmless protection for cities and states during the lifetime
of the bill. This will ensure that established and necessary systems
of care are not destabilized in areas that are slated to lose
funds under the bill.
- Increase in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program supplemental fund
from 3% to 5%. This should provide additional fiscal relief to
states with ADAP waiting lists and other barriers to treatment
access without large shifts of funds from other states.
- A strong focus on Title II base funding, which pays for primary
care, treatment, and support services in all states. The reauthorized
CARE Act calls for a $70 million increase in Title II funding,
with one-third of this money going to a Title II supplemental
fund to help states that lose money under the new bill.
We now look to Congress to put the same attention and leadership
into adequately funding the CARE Act that it gave to passage of
reauthorization. Without sufficient increases, we will not reach
the goals of improving care and treatment services in states in
need, and other states will have difficulty maintaining their current
systems of care.
In particular, we call on incoming Congressional leadership to
ensure that the $70 million increase for Title II base recommended
in the legislation be included in the final Fiscal Year 2007 appropriation
bill (or continuing resolution, if one is extended for an entire
year). The reauthorized CARE Act was crafted on the assumption of
this increase, and it is the bare minimum necessary to ensure that
states can improve access to lifesaving care and treatment.
Finally, Project Inform looks forward to upcoming discussions about
provision of affordable, accessible, and quality HIV care in the
future, including what changes would strengthen the CARE Act during
the next reauthorization. The CARE Act is a vital and model health
care program for hundreds of thousand of low-income people with
HIV/AIDS, however, in the face of more people living with HIV/AIDS
than ever before, increasingly burdened and underfunded public health
care systems, and growing rates of uninsurance, it is not capable
of providing services to everyone who needs them. We hope to work
with Congress for a system that guarantees access to health care
and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS who have no other way to
pay for them.
Contacts:
Ryan Clary, Associate Director of Health Care Advocacy
415-558-8669 x224
Anne Donnelly, Director of Health Care Advocacy
415-558-8669 x208
