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Wednesday, August 1, 2007

HIV patients lose vital services due to funding issues

"Congress rewrote the Ryan White Care Act in December in ways that expanded the regions eligible for money and allowed less assistance for support programs like meals and legal aid. Five new cities have joined the list of recipients, but without any increase in overall financing.

Because of strict limits on discretionary spending and the competing demands of other health initiatives, the Republican-led Congress and the Bush administration kept appropriations for the Ryan White program at about $2.1 billion over the last several years. At the same time, H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, spreads to an estimated 40,000 more people each year, more people are getting tested and seek care, and more patients live longer, requiring medicines costing thousands of dollars a month."
Via NY Times

This article tugs at my heart, as, many of the patients, once self supporting, no longer can afford to provide such things for themselves and are finding the cuts devastating.

Click above to read the rest.

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