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Hastings and Wexler Urge HHS Secretary to Immediately Restore HIV/AIDS Funding for Palm Beach County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
 
U.S. Representative Alcee L. Hastings (D-Miramar) and U.S. Representative Robert Wexler (D-Boca Raton) today called on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt to immediately reinstate the over $1.2 million in funding cuts for HIV/AIDS patients living in Palm Beach County.

Representatives Hastings and Wexler are deeply concerned about HIV/AIDS patients who rely at times on federal funding to receive critical medical treatment and social services. In a letter to Secretary Leavitt, Representatives Hastings and Wexler noted that the 13 percent funding cut is the largest for any county in Florida and the second largest in the United States. These cuts, as the two argue, will have a devestating effect on Palm Beach County's Ryan White HIV/AIDS programs.

According to the Palm Beach Post, 600 HIV patients will lose transportation to their doctors, 800 will lose their food allowance, and 400 will lose professional help for medical and social-services. In addition, patients will only receive three months of case management, only six months of mental-health counseling, only 90 days of in-patient substance-abuse treatment and 55 percent less money for legal aid to help patients seeking Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits. Palm Beach County received $9.5 million last year in funding, and with one out of every 131 individuals living in Palm Beach County having HIV/AIDS, increased funding is desperately needed.

A copy of the letter follows below.

---
March 22, 2006

The Honorable Mike Leavitt
Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Leavitt:

We write to express our great concern regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent decision to cut funding for HIV/AIDS programs in Palm Beach County, Florida by $1.2 million. We strongly urge you to restore this funding, at the very least, to the fiscal year 2005 level, to ensure that patients rely on these federal dollars continue to receive the critical medical treatment and social services which they so desperately need. Without these programs, uninsured and underinsured patients with HIV/AIDS in Palm Beach County will not receive the badly needed services that enable them to fight this dreaded disease.

As you know, during the previous fiscal year, Palm Beach County received $9.5 million in Ryan White CARE Act funding. While this was a generous amount, there is still much work to be done to effectively serve those infected with HIV/AIDS in the County.

HHS’ funding cuts for Ryan White AIDS programs in Palm Beach County total 13 percent and are the largest for any county in Florida and the second largest in the United States. The impact of these cuts will only further devastate the health of more than 600 HIV patients who will lose transportation to their doctors, 800 who will lose their food allowance, and 400 who will lose professional help for medical and social-services. This is completely unacceptable.

What is puzzling about these cuts is that the Health Resources and Services Administration claims that they are due to inadequate information provided by Palm Beach County. Yet, in our discussions with the County, they indicated that this year’s application contains basically the same information as last year, with only minor updated changes. It is difficult to understand how the same data could be acceptable one year yet inadequate in the following year. The impact of such a decision is staggering.

A disproportionate number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Palm Beach County are already plagued with poverty, a lack of health insurance, or gaps in Medicaid coverage. If funding for Ryan White programs are cut in Palm Beach County, County residents with HIV/AIDS will have no other resources for medical attention. The fragile state of many of these patients will not allow them to hold on for the possibility of more funding next year. With 1 out of every 131 individuals living in Palm Beach County having HIV/AIDS, increased funds are required immediately.

In addition, if these cuts remain permanent, patients will be limited to receiving only three months of case management, only six months of mental-health counseling, and only 90 days of in-patient substance-abuse treatment. There will also be 55 percent less money for patients seeking legal aid to obtain Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits. Because the medical needs of HIV/AIDS patients are so finely balanced, any disruption in care only further complicates their treatment and ultimately increases costs. Reinstating funds for these programs now is not only in the best interest of medical care, but it is also a cost effective move to prevent even higher costs that ultimately affect the entire county.

We implore you to reconsider this cut in funding. The restoration of these funds will allow HIV/AIDS programs in Palm Beach County to move forward and serve the best interests of our community at large.

Thank you for your consideration of this request, and we look forward to your expeditious response.

Sincerely,

Alcee L. Hastings, MC
Robert Wexler, MC

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    Views and NewsBiographyConstituent ServicesGrantsAbout Florida's 23rd District
    Student CenterPhoto GalleryLinksContact Congressman Hastings