Bill to reauthorize AIDS funding introduced

U.S. Republican senator from Oklahoma Tom Coburn on Tuesday introduced a bill to reauthorize and amend the Ryan White CARE Act, reports the Daily Oklahoman. The law authorizing funds for HIV/AIDS care and services nationwide expired on September 30.

Coburn's bill calls for the creation of new funding formulas that would take into account HIV prevalence, require that 75% of CARE funding is spent on primary care, require that facilities that receive federal funding conduct mandatory HIV testing, and increase annual funding for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, federal- and state-funded programs that provide HIV/AIDS-related medications to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured HIV-positive individuals.

The legislation "prioritiz[es] early diagnosis and access to primary health care and treatment and increas[es] accountability for how funds are spent," Coburn said in a statement. The bill comes as the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee is holding hearings on the issue Wednesday. U.S. Republican representative from Florida Dave Weldon plans to introduce a companion measure in the House.

"This timely proposal will be an effective tool in ensuring the best use of federal dollars and improving delivery of HIV/AIDS care and services to those Americans most in need," AHF president Michael Weinstein said in a statement. But AIDS Project Los Angeles executive director Craig Thompson cautioned against what he describes as a "top-down funding scheme" that would affect how local jurisdictions spend Ryan White funds. (Advocate.com)

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