On World AIDS Day, Obama announces plan to redirect $50 million to fight AIDS

Dec 3 2011

President Barack Obama told advocates, patients and other stakeholders that his administration will do more to get antiretroviral drugs to people infected with HIV -; in the United States and in low-income countries around the world.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Redirects $50 Million To Fight AIDS
The Obama administration will redirect $50 million to prevention and treatment programs across the country and will aim to help provide anti-retroviral drugs to more than 6 million people around the world, an increase of 2 million from the previous goal (Parsons and Dixon, 12/1).

The Washington Post: Obama Proposes Helping More People Get Access To AIDS Drugs
President Obama told activists, patients, scientists and business leaders gathered in Washington on Thursday to mark World AIDS Day that his administration will do more to get life-extending antiretroviral drugs for those infected with HIV -; both in the United States and in low-income countries (Brown, 12/1).

Politico: Obama Slowly Builds On Bush's AIDS Legacy
 Under the banner of "compassionate conservatism," President George W. Bush surprised and delighted AIDS activists by spending billions of dollars to fight AIDS in developing countries worldwide. Now, nearly three years into Obama's presidency, some of those activists say Obama has yet to create a similar legacy on the global stage (Epstein, 12/1).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Obama Marks World AIDS Day With Funding Increases
President Barack Obama marked World AIDS Day by announcing a $50 million funding boost for U.S. HIV/AIDS programs. "We're committing an additional $15 million for the Ryan White program that supports care provided by HIV medical clinics across the country," the president said. An additional $35 million will go to state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, or ADAPs, that pay for HIV medications for uninsured and low-income patients who cannot afford the drugs due to inadequate insurance coverage (Kulkarni, 12/1).

National Journal: Obama Increases AIDS Funding
President Obama, who's been under pressure from AIDS advocacy groups to do more to help patients with the virus, announced new funding for treating Americans on Thursday and said the U.S. would try to reach two million more patients overseas. Obama said the goal would be to treat 6 million people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS -; a 50 percent increase over the current goal of 4 million. Officials said this wouldn't come through higher spending but rather through making the program more efficient. "In the area of treatment, President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has driven down its cost per year per patient on treatment from over $1100 to $335 in FY 2011," the White House said in a statement (Edwards and Fox, 12/1).

KQED: HIV/AIDS Cases Up Most for People of Color
[California's] analysis showed that the number of people living with HIV and AIDS is up most significantly among blacks and Hispanics. Between 1988 and 2008, the number of white people with HIV/AIDS had nearly doubled, but the number of cases for blacks had more than tripled and were up more than five times for Hispanics (Aliferis, 12/1). 

NewsHour (Video): When Will We See An AIDS-Free Generation?
On World AIDS Day, President Obama pledged Thursday to provide HIV treatment for millions more around the world. Jeffrey Brown discusses the state of the epidemic with U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby, clinic director Dr. Patricia Nkansah-Asamoah and David Ernesto Munar of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (12/1).