The US Department of Health and Human Services will provide an additional $25 million to help people waiting for subsidized AIDS treatment, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday. The money will come from "reallocating and transferring $25 million in existing resources," she said.
As of July 1, about 2,100 people were on waiting lists in 11 state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. Across the United States, thousands of other HIV/AIDS patients are affected by ADAP limits to eligibility, drug formularies and enrollment restrictions.
The HHS move reflects "the administration's commitment to HIV treatment and care," said Dr. Howard K. Koh, the HHS assistant secretary of health in charge of the program. Koh declined to reveal the sources of the redirected money.
Advocacy groups and state officials had urged the Obama administration to provide $126 million in emergency assistance through the current fiscal year. Sebelius said she is confident that the $25 million will cover existing and projected needs through Sept. 30.
"The $25 million will help," said Carl Schmid, deputy executive director of the AIDS Institute, a patient-advocacy group. "It's a start. But it's definitely not enough."
"We appreciate the action taken by the Obama administration, but we are not sure it will be sufficient," said Ann Lefert, a policy analyst at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.
Without public assistance, many patients cannot afford antiretroviral therapy. About 45 percent of the program's more than 168,000 beneficiaries last year had incomes below the poverty level - $10,830 for an individual.
07/09/10
UNITED STATES: US to Provide $25 Million to Help Buy AIDS Drugs
Source: New York Times:: Robert Pear; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention