Health News
2005-10-28
Senate rejects
ADAP measure
The Senate on
Wednesday voted 85-14 to defeat an amendment to a spending
bill that would have shifted $60 million earmarked for
renovatio
The Senate on
Wednesday voted 85-14 to defeat an amendment to a spending
bill that would have shifted $60 million earmarked for
renovations and building construction at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention to the
nation’s AIDS Drug Assistance Programs,
Congressional Quarterly Today reports. The
amendment, sponsored by Republican senator Tom Coburn of
Oklahoma, was defeated after senators from Georgia,
which is home to the CDC, fought against it. The CDC
funds that would have been redirected to buy
lifesaving medications for low-income HIV-positive Americans
will instead be used for such projects as building a
scenic spot for employees at the agency’s
Atlanta grounds that includes a Japanese garden and stream.
At least nine ADAPs around the country are facing such
severe budget shortfalls that they’ve had to
restrict admission to the programs and implement
waiting lists. Several others have reduced the number of
drugs they provide, tightened financial eligibility
requirements, or implemented other cost-saving
measures. (Advocate.com)
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