Ryan White Care Act
Encyclopedia
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act (Ryan White Care Act, Ryan White) was an Act of the U.S. Congress named in honor of Ryan White
, an Indiana
teenager who contracted AIDS
through a tainted hemophilia treatment in 1984, and was expelled from school because of the disease. White became a well-known advocate
for AIDS research and awareness, until his death on April 8, 1990.
The act is the United States's largest federally funded program for people living with HIV
/AIDS
. The act sought funding to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families.
Unlike Medicare
or Medicaid
, Ryan White programs are "payer of last resort", which fund treatment when no other resources are available. As AIDS has spread, the funding of the program has increased. In 1991, the first year funds were appropriated, around US$220 million
were spent; by the early 2000s, this number had almost increased 10-fold. The Ryan White Care Act was reauthorized in 1996, 2000 and 2006. The program provides some level of care for around 500,000 people a year and, in 2004, provided funds to 2,567 organizations. The Ryan White programs also fund local and State primary medical care providers, support services, healthcare provider training programs, and provide technical assistance to such organizations.
In fiscal year 2005, federal funding for the Ryan White Care Act was $2.1 billion. As of 2005, roughly one third of this money went to the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs
(ADAP) which provides drugs for 30 percent of HIV-infected patients. The primary activity of ADAP is providing FDA
-approved prescription medication.
The Ryan White CARE Act mandates that EMS personnel can find out whether they were exposed to life threatening diseases while providing care. The clauses protecting emergency personnel were removed by congressional staffers in a renewal of the bill. The reason for the removal is unclear; some allege the staffers removed the clauses protecting emergency personnel because they did not understand why they were in the original Ryan White act.
The Ryan White Care Act was due to be reauthorized at the end of 2005, but Congress could not reach agreement on changes, and the act was extended for one year under the old terms. In 2006, the act was reauthorized for three more years, ending on September 30, 2009 with a funding level of $2.1 billion.
Prior to the reauthorization, the act allocated money based on the proportion of patients with AIDS in each region. The 2006 reauthorization changed this allocation mechanism to also consider the number of people without an AIDS diagnosis but who still have HIV infection. A significant portion of funding from the act is emergency relief for Eligible Metropolitan Areas. The 2006 reauthorization redefined EMAs as cities with a population greater than 50,000, instead of previous versions which required 500,000.
Changing face of AIDS on Ryan White Funding
It is currently estimated that over 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS. Even though infection rates have remained steady and somewhat declined, medical advancement has substantially increased life expectancy of HIV/AIDS patients. It has been calculated that healthcare costs for those living with HIV/AIDS is around $26,000 per year. Ryan White Funds were re-authorized by President Barack Obama in 2009 for $2.1 billion for a period of four years. This means that Ryan White Funding only supplies $437.50 for every person per year living with HIV/AIDS [but this should not be an issue because not all of the 1.2 million people with AIDS need ADAP/Ryan White help, so this is misleading].
Ryan White
Ryan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. A hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed...
, an Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
teenager who contracted AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
through a tainted hemophilia treatment in 1984, and was expelled from school because of the disease. White became a well-known advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
for AIDS research and awareness, until his death on April 8, 1990.
The act is the United States's largest federally funded program for people living with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. The act sought funding to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families.
Unlike Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
or Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
, Ryan White programs are "payer of last resort", which fund treatment when no other resources are available. As AIDS has spread, the funding of the program has increased. In 1991, the first year funds were appropriated, around US$220 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
were spent; by the early 2000s, this number had almost increased 10-fold. The Ryan White Care Act was reauthorized in 1996, 2000 and 2006. The program provides some level of care for around 500,000 people a year and, in 2004, provided funds to 2,567 organizations. The Ryan White programs also fund local and State primary medical care providers, support services, healthcare provider training programs, and provide technical assistance to such organizations.
In fiscal year 2005, federal funding for the Ryan White Care Act was $2.1 billion. As of 2005, roughly one third of this money went to the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs
AIDS Drug Assistance Programs
AIDS Drug Assistance Programs are a set of programs in all 50-states in the United States that provide Food and Drug Administration-approved HIV treatment drugs to low income patients in the U.S....
(ADAP) which provides drugs for 30 percent of HIV-infected patients. The primary activity of ADAP is providing FDA
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
-approved prescription medication.
The Ryan White CARE Act mandates that EMS personnel can find out whether they were exposed to life threatening diseases while providing care. The clauses protecting emergency personnel were removed by congressional staffers in a renewal of the bill. The reason for the removal is unclear; some allege the staffers removed the clauses protecting emergency personnel because they did not understand why they were in the original Ryan White act.
2006 reauthorization
Prior to the reauthorization, the act allocated money based on the proportion of patients with AIDS in each region. The 2006 reauthorization changed this allocation mechanism to also consider the number of people without an AIDS diagnosis but who still have HIV infection. A significant portion of funding from the act is emergency relief for Eligible Metropolitan Areas. The 2006 reauthorization redefined EMAs as cities with a population greater than 50,000, instead of previous versions which required 500,000.
2009 reauthorization
In 2009, Congress passed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, which was signed by President Obama on October 30, 2009. This bill extends the Ryan White Care Act for an additional four years.Changing face of AIDS on Ryan White Funding
It is currently estimated that over 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS. Even though infection rates have remained steady and somewhat declined, medical advancement has substantially increased life expectancy of HIV/AIDS patients. It has been calculated that healthcare costs for those living with HIV/AIDS is around $26,000 per year. Ryan White Funds were re-authorized by President Barack Obama in 2009 for $2.1 billion for a period of four years. This means that Ryan White Funding only supplies $437.50 for every person per year living with HIV/AIDS [but this should not be an issue because not all of the 1.2 million people with AIDS need ADAP/Ryan White help, so this is misleading].