AHF commends U.S. Congress for strong bipartisan commitment to AIDS

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today commended the United States Congress for showing a strong bipartisan commitment to AIDS in passing the fiscal year 2011 budget earlier this afternoon, a budget that despite severe cost-cutting mentality in Washington, included a $48 million overall increase in the $883 million allocated for the nation's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a network of federal and state funded programs that provide life-saving HIV treatments to low income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS nationwide.

In February, AIDS Healthcare Foundation persuaded Rep. Alcee Hastings (D, FL 23^rd) to introduce and carry an amendment reallocating $42 million in government bureaucracy to relieve ADAP, which as of April 8th has over 7,900 AIDS patients in 11 states on waiting lists for access to lifesaving antiretroviral drugs. The House passed the 'Hastings Amendment' in a voice vote February 18^th—the only prior vote to increase AIDS funding this congressional cycle.

"We are heartened by the strong bipartisan commitment to AIDS Congress has shown by increasing funding for the hard-hit AIDS Drug Assistance Program by $48 million this year—no small feat in the 'slash and burn' atmosphere of budget cuts permeating Washington today," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "Tremendous thanks and credit go to Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings, who succeeded in getting government funding—$42 million at the time in February—reallocated to address the growing AIDS funding shortfall that has been crippling ADAP and threatening the lives of thousands of Americans. After we approached Hastings in mid-February, his swift and decisive action on this issue showed real leadership, and as a result, people with AIDS in Florida and across the nation now have the potential to get off waiting lists and on to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. We thank Representative Hastings—as well as his Florida colleague Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has also shown real leadership on this issue—for vigorously supporting and funding ADAP when few others would take the lead. We now thank Congress for making this funding increase a reality in passing the budget today."

As of April 8th, there were 7,900 individuals on ADAP waiting lists in 11 states, including 3,967 people—more than half the nationwide total—in Hastings' home state of Florida. Since December alone, patient waiting lists for the nation's hard-hit AIDS Drug Assistance have grown 36% for individuals waiting to access to antiretroviral treatment through ADAP than there were just three months ago.

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation