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AIDS Action Applauds the Administration’s
Principles for Epidemic Management of HIV in the U.S: Test,
Monitor and Treat
In response to Secretary
of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt’s statement and
release of President Bush’s Principles on reauthorization
of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act
(CARE Act)—the most important piece of domestic legislation
dedicated solely to providing HIV treatment, care, and medical
support services—AIDS Action released the following statement:
(Washington, DC) The board and staff members of AIDS Action
Council applaud the Bush administration’s decision to make
reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act a major component
of his domestic agenda. True to the remarks he made during
his State of the Union Address in January, and the release
of his principles today, the President has demonstrated his
understanding of how important it is to strengthen the nation’s
most vital HIV legislation. Furthermore, the White House,
along with the Department of Health and Human Services, has
demonstrated their understanding of HIV disease management
and of the urgent need to make critically important improvements
to the CARE Act so that it can respond effectively to the
country’s growing and changing HIV epidemic.
The Administration has set as a priority the provision of
“life-extending” care and medications to those most in need
living with HIV in the United States. In order to improve
management of the domestic epidemic and ensure that communities
and individuals with the greatest needs are served by CARE
Act resources, the White House recommends making routine voluntary
HIV testing available in public health facilities, shifting
national surveillance from the reporting of “AIDS diagnosis”
to “HIV infections” and making certain that basic primary
medical care and medications are available.
“It is clear that the Bush Administration recognizes the important
role the Ryan White CARE Act plays in our nation’s response
to the HIV epidemic,” states Craig Thompson, board chair for
AIDS Action Council and executive director of AIDS Project
Los Angeles, “and that this reauthorization is an opportunity
we can’t afford to waste and we call for a serious commitment
to funding, technical assistance and community consultation
necessary to implement these Principles.”
AIDS Action Council salutes the goals of the Principles released
today to address the single greatest crisis in the U.S. epidemic:
500,000 people with HIV who lack adequate access to medical
care and life-saving medication. These men, women and children
will be reached and served through the changes proposed.
“The federal government estimates that there are half a million
people in the United States who are living with HIV and do
not have access to regular medical care, which means they
are without treatment,” observes Dr. Linda Frank, public policy
co-chair for AIDS Action Council and for the National Association
of AIDS Education and Training Centers. “This situation is
unacceptable. As long as patients are unable to access the
medications and qualified health care providers that keep
them healthy and productive, the domestic epidemic will continue
unabated,” she adds.
“We must quickly move America’s response into the 21st century—and
this modernization should begin with the strengthening of
the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) consistent with the
President’s priorities for federal funding,” Dr. Frank concludes.
ADAP is authorized in the CARE Act legislation to provide
medications for the treatment of HIV disease and it also funds
the purchase of health insurance for eligible participants.
AIDS Action Council asks the President and Congress to bring
an end to the crisis in HIV drug access during the upcoming
reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act by ensuring the
following:
- Every state and territory is encouraged
to offer what is known as an open formulary of medications,
which provides access to all FDA-approved drugs. Open formularies
grant physicians the full ability to prescribe the most appropriate
medications, thus ensuring optimal health for their patients.
- A single national standard for ADAP income
eligibility is set at three-and-a-half times the Federal Poverty
Level. Setting ADAP eligibility at this level would increase
the number of people served. Individuals earning higher wages
would then stay healthy enough to continue to work. Remaining
in the workforce will increase participants’ earning power,
fueling movement out of the program. In addition, this national
standard would make it possible for ADAP participants to move
across state lines in order to be closer to family members
or to take advantage of job opportunities without causing
disruptions in their treatment.
- States and territories are able to purchase
drugs at the same discount rates provided to the Veteran’s
Administration, Department of Defense, Public Health Service,
and Coast Guard under the federal ceiling price, thus enabling
states to purchase drugs at lower prices.
- The ADAP budget is increased to $1.5 billion
in fiscal year (FY) 2006 with annual increases of $100 million
each year thereafter to $2.0 billion in FY 2011.
(These
measures are outlined fully in AIDS Action’s proposal, Streamlining
and Modernizing the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) of
the Ryan White CARE Act, at www.aidsaction.org.)
“By acting on these recommendations which, if enacted, will
help to streamline and modernize the CARE Act and the AIDS
Drug Assistance Program, President Bush and the Congress will
be helping America to chart a new course in the domestic epidemic,”
affirms Marsha A. Martin, executive director of AIDS Action,
who attended the Secretary’s briefing on the Principles today.
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