Ryan White CARE Act to Continue Operating Through October 31st; Senate Committee Takes Step to Reauthorize CARE Act for Four Years. AIDS Action Supports Bipartisan, Bicameral Ryan White Reathorization. In that effort, the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee passed the “Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009” this morning, a first step in ensuring eventual reauthorization.  Today’s markup took place after a hearing on the Ryan White Care Act in the House Energy and Commerce Committee highlighted that the provision would be repealed (aka “sunsetted”) on September 30^th without Congressional action. Fortunately passage of the Continuing Resolution will now keep the CARE Act in effect. 

AIDS Action Council congratulated the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) for taking up the work of reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act for four years. The program is critical to the health and well being of over 500,000 people living with HIV and AIDS in the United States who receive medical treatment, antiretroviral drugs and drugs for opportunistic infections, support services to bring people into care, education and training of HIV/AIDS service providers from the program.

“AIDS Action supports the work of the HELP and Energy and Commerce committees in crafting a bipartisan/bicameral bill that used a document negotiated by the community as its original basis,” said Rebecca Haag, AIDS Action’s Executive Director. She continued, “This process has created a compromise that will stabilize the Ryan White CARE Act program for the next four years while both the expected health insurance reform legislation and the National AIDS Strategy take effect.” 

AIDS Action urged both the House and Senate to move forward to ensure the passage of identical bills that could be signed into law by President Obama. “Extension of the Ryan White CARE Act for four more years will ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS will continue to lead longer, healthier and productive lives,” said Haag. “We intend to work closely with the Health Resources Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau and we will ensure that the legislation is implemented in a way that serves the needs of all people living with HIV,” she said.