News Release

HHS Outlines President's Principles for Reauthorization of Ryan White CARE Act

At a meeting today with members of the President's Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS, the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment and a broad range of stakeholder organizations, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt called on Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act in ways that will strengthen the program, support compassionate care and treatment, and encourage prevention efforts.

"President Bush has made stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS a top priority of his Administration, and the Ryan White CARE Act is essential to the fight against this terrible disease here at home," Secretary Leavitt said. "This act must be improved and modernized so we can bring compassionate care and treatment to those Americans living with HIV/AIDS. We urge Congress to reauthorize this vital legislation this year."

Secretary Leavitt announced that President Bush has outlined five key principles to make the legislation more responsive to those in need. These principles include:

• Serve the neediest first;
• Focus on life-saving and life-extending services;
• Increase prevention efforts;
• Increase accountability; and
• Increase flexibility.

For example, under these principles, funding would be distributed by severity of need; unspent funds would be reallocated to state AIDS drug assistance programs with the greatest need; a list of core medical services would be developed to prioritize federal funding; states and local providers would be required to increase coordination of delivery of care; and states would be required to implement routine voluntary HIV testing in public facilities.

"I am pleased to see the President's solid framework for the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which the Administration is unveiling today. The general principles outlined are very similar to the ones we on the HELP Committee adopted when we began our work on this key legislation," Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said. "I look forward to working with the Administration, Senator Kennedy, my colleagues and stakeholders in a bipartisan and bicameral way to reauthorize this critical program. Together, we will develop crucial legislation that will appropriately target key funding to domestic HIV/AIDS programs, increase accountability, and recognize the evolving needs of those infected and affected by HIV."

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act is a broad-based approach to providing medical care, antiretroviral treatments, and other services for those in greatest need of HIV/AIDS assistance. The legislation must be reauthorized every five years, and the next reauthorization is set for September 2005.

The President's FY 2006 budget request provides a total of $2.1 billion for Ryan White activities to address the health needs of Americans living with HIV/AIDS, an increase of $276 million since FY 2001.

In the United States although men who have sex with men represent the largest proportion of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, the percentage of women being infected has increased sharply with women now accounting for 27 percent of new cases. Minority populations are particularly severely impacted: in 2003 half the new cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed were among African Americans, a population that comprises only 12 percent of the U.S. population.

"The need for modernization and improvement of the Ryan White CARE Act is more evident than ever," Secretary Leavitt said. "HIV/AIDS in the United States is becoming more and more like the global epidemic, which challenges us to enact legislation that is more flexible and responsive to a segment of the population who otherwise would not have access to modern treatment and care."

The Ryan White CARE Act funds primary health care and support services that improve access and extend time on treatment for people living with HIV. First enacted by Congress in 1990, it was amended and reauthorized in 1996 and again in 2000. The CARE Act reaches over 500,000 individuals each year, making it the federal government's largest program specifically for people living with HIV disease.

CARE Act services provide medical care, antiretroviral treatments, and counseling and testing for those in greatest need. The CARE Act works by funding local and state programs that provide primary medical care and support services; health care provider training; and technical assistance to help programs address implementation and emerging HIV care issues.

A fact sheet is available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/ryanwhite.html