"People in the United States seem to have grown complacent and forgotten that HIV/AIDS is not just a problem overseas, but one here in our own nation. With as many as 1.1 million people in our country living with HIV/AIDS, our government, through passing a new Ryan White CARE Act, must ensure that lifesaving drugs, medical care, and social services are provided to those in need, wherever they live."
"Continued flat funding for CARE Act programs will do little to help eliminate current waiting lists, and nothing to extend care and treatment to people who aren't even on those lists. Instead, it will only serve to pit city against city and state against state for the limited dollars available. A person's ability to receive treatment should not depend upon where in the country they live."
"The Ryan White CARE Act works -- that is why it must be reauthorized. In the devastation following Hurricane Katrina, one of the only bright notes was that the Ryan White/ADAP system in states across the country went into high gear to assure that poor patients could access their life-saving medications. The CARE Act and the systems it has created serve as a model for all medical care in the U.S."
"Ryan taught us that AIDS can strike anyone, anywhere. As we work together to renew the Ryan White CARE Act, I urge the Congress and the Administration to provide adequate funding so that everyone who is in need of these lifesaving medications and medical care, can have the chance to live productive, healthy and longer lives."
"With as many as 1.1 million people in the U.S. living today with HIV/AIDS, and nearly 3 out of 4 of them uninsured or relying on public assistance, the CARE Act for them is a matter of life or death. This media campaign will remind Americans that HIV/AIDS exists in everyone's neighborhood and that despite the success of the Ryan White program, not all Americans have access to lifesaving care and treatment."
"The Ryan White CARE Act has a proven track record of success in providing lifesaving drugs as well as a full range of medical care and support services. The CARE Act is keeping people alive much longer than ever before. It has had strong bipartisan support from Congressional leaders over the years. We expect the same this year -- swift passage of reauthorization legislation this fall."
Resources at The Body:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 26, 2006 |
CONTACT: Arlyn Riskind, 202-457-8100 ariskind@lipmanhearne.com |
STATE OF THE UNION HEALTH CARE FLASHBACK:
PRESIDENT ASKED FOR RENEWED HIV/AIDS PROGRAM IN 2005, CONGRESS FAILED TO DELIVER
Advocates Urge President to Renew His Commitment
Washington, DC -- This year's State of the Union address is expected to focus on the health care crisis facing the United States. But a major piece of unfinished health care business remains from last year's State of the Union speech.
"Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White [CARE] Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease," the president said last Feb. 2.
But Congress has so far failed to act. The nation's largest set of programs dedicated to providing care and services to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured Americans with HIV/AIDS expired on Sept. 30. Ryan White CARE Act programs are running at last year's funding levels, which were forcing cuts in services even then.
The Ryan White ACTION Campaign is urging Congress to heed the president's call and reauthorize the CARE Act now -- and fund it appropriately -- to ensure access to essential care and services for the more than half a million people with HIV/AIDS whose lives depend on it.
"CARE Act programs have literally saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS who have nowhere else to turn," says Executive Director Christine Lubinski of the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), one of the four organizations participating in the Ryan White ACTION Campaign. "President Bush asked Congress to make reauthorizing it a priority a year ago. It's time for Congress to take action," she adds.
President Bush also recognized the need to modernize the CARE Act to reflect the current state of the AIDS epidemic in this country. "[A]s we update this important law," the president told Congress in his State of the Union Address, "we must focus our efforts on fellow citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African American men and women."
Times have changed since the CARE Act was first written, in 1990. The epidemic is growing fastest among minorities, rural residents, and people with low incomes, all of whom are the least likely to have access to health care and are, therefore, in most need of CARE Act-funded services. New treatments have made it possible to live for decades with HIV, but these treatments are complex and expensive.
Furthermore, the epidemic continues to grow by approximately 40,000 new infections each year. Julie M. Scofield, executive director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, notes, "Despite the growing caseload, Congress has not significantly increased funding for the CARE Act in four years. When we're forced to handle more patients with the same money, something has to give."
Some states have been forced to put people on waiting lists for medications they need to stay alive and healthy. Others have capped enrollment, limited doctor visits, or put other limits in place.
"Failing to renew the Ryan White CARE Act makes it seem that Congress is not aware of the serious and growing state of the AIDS epidemic in our country today," says Dr. Gene Copello, executive director of The AIDS Institute. "We get the impression that Congress believes everyone in the United States who needs access to HIV treatment and services is receiving care. That's definitely not the case. This is a vital and life-saving program. Congress needs to act now to reauthorize an improved Ryan White CARE Act."
Howard Grossman, MD, executive director of the American Academy of HIV Medicine, adds, "President Bush needs to remind Congress in this year's State of the Union address that renewing the CARE Act is extremely important for Americans with HIV/AIDS. The president has made the United States a leader in the fight against global AIDS. In this year's State of the Union address, we hope to hear him continue his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS at home as well."
"Reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act gives Congress an opportunity to modernize this essential, effective program," says HIVMA's Lubinski. "Congress failed to do its part when the president asked for it last year. This year, President Bush should make sure Congress understands his commitment to fighting both global and domestic HIV/AIDS," she adds.
