RWGNYC's Blog
Monday, April 24, 2006
Rural states fight for more federal AIDS funding
April 23, 2006 BY ERICA WERNER
WASHINGTON -- AIDS started as a big city epidemic infecting mostly gay white men, and now it's prevalent in the South and among minorities. Yet the federal law that helps the neediest patients has not kept up with that evolution.
By some measures, AIDS patients in California and the Northeast get more money per capita than those in the South, where activists are lobbying for a bigger share.
With hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, Congress is trying for the first time since 2000 to amend the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990. It is named for the Indiana teen who died that year after contracting AIDS from hemophilia treatments. The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans a hearing Thursday.
Calif., New York could lose most
"We haven't seen the money shifting with the epidemic. I don't believe a person should be punished because of where they live geographically, and that's what's happening," said Kathie Hiers, head of AIDS Alabama, a nonprofit that provides services to HIV/AIDS patients.
But Phil Curtis of AIDS Project Los Angeles says dollar disparities between cities and rural areas have been exaggerated.
The federal law sends about $2 billion a year to local and state programs. These services reach more than 500,000 people per year, making it the largest federal program for people with HIV. The law gives money to states as well as to 51 "eligible metropolitan areas" with concentrations of AIDS patients.
A study by congressional investigators last year found that states with eligible metropolitan areas get the most money because some patients are double-counted -- once to calculate the eligible metropolitan area and again in statewide totals.
There are more than 1 million people in the United States with HIV/AIDS. New York and California are home to the most AIDS patients. Depending on how the law is changed, these states stand to lose about $20 million each; Southern states could gain millions.
AP
WASHINGTON -- AIDS started as a big city epidemic infecting mostly gay white men, and now it's prevalent in the South and among minorities. Yet the federal law that helps the neediest patients has not kept up with that evolution.
By some measures, AIDS patients in California and the Northeast get more money per capita than those in the South, where activists are lobbying for a bigger share.
With hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, Congress is trying for the first time since 2000 to amend the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990. It is named for the Indiana teen who died that year after contracting AIDS from hemophilia treatments. The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans a hearing Thursday.
Calif., New York could lose most
"We haven't seen the money shifting with the epidemic. I don't believe a person should be punished because of where they live geographically, and that's what's happening," said Kathie Hiers, head of AIDS Alabama, a nonprofit that provides services to HIV/AIDS patients.
But Phil Curtis of AIDS Project Los Angeles says dollar disparities between cities and rural areas have been exaggerated.
The federal law sends about $2 billion a year to local and state programs. These services reach more than 500,000 people per year, making it the largest federal program for people with HIV. The law gives money to states as well as to 51 "eligible metropolitan areas" with concentrations of AIDS patients.
A study by congressional investigators last year found that states with eligible metropolitan areas get the most money because some patients are double-counted -- once to calculate the eligible metropolitan area and again in statewide totals.
There are more than 1 million people in the United States with HIV/AIDS. New York and California are home to the most AIDS patients. Depending on how the law is changed, these states stand to lose about $20 million each; Southern states could gain millions.
AP
:: posted by R. W. Graf, 7:01 AM
