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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today voiced concern over legislation to reauthorize the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act which would penalize the state of New Jersey for its success in helping the state's HIV/AIDS patients.
The New Jersey congressman voiced his concern late this afternoon at a meeting of House Energy and Commerce Committee members with stakeholders from New Jersey and other states who are at the forefront of providing healthcare assistance to HIV/AIDS patients.
The meeting comes after weeks of negotiations to formulate the best plan on how to dole out more than $1.5 billion in federal funding to complement the services being provided at the state level and by non-profit organizations. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved the plan last week. The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to bring up the measure in the coming weeks.
At today's meeting, Pallone voiced concern that the current plan determines eligibility and distributes funding based on incidence rather than prevalence. Under the legislation, only cases reported in the last five years would be counted. This fails to take into account that many HIV/AIDS patients are living longer and require treatment for a longer period of time.
Despite the fact that New Jersey consistently ranks fifth in the nation in the number of reported HIV/AIDS cases, under the current proposal New Jersey would see a severe cut in two of the main areas of federal funding because many of the state's patients have been living with the disease for longer than five years. The New Jersey congressman said the state and localities disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic would see a substantial reduction in funding
"For years, New Jersey has been at the forefront of treating this epidemic," Pallone said at today's stakeholders meeting. "As a result, HIV/AIDS patients in New Jersey are living longer and have a better quality of life. Rather than rewarding our success, we are being punished.
"This sets up a perverse disincentive for other states that are watching right now," Pallone continued. "It says to them, you will be penalized for keeping people alive and healthy. Is that the message we really want to be sending, Mr. Chairman? I surely hope not."
The New Jersey congressman also voiced concern over the current boundaries used to determine local eligibility, which, he said, "causes great hardship on our southern and central counties and does not allow New Jersey to meet its local needs." Currently, the way the boundaries are set up, four of New Jersey's counties (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem) receive their award from Philadelphia. This type of structure has led to significant delays in the provision of services and loss of autonomy of New Jersey.
Pallone said he supports a proposal discussed at the meeting that would consolidate every southern New Jersey County in with the rest of New Jersey.
The Ryan White CARE Act was enacted in 1990 to improve the quality and availability of care for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. It is named after Ryan White, an 18 year old teenager who died of AIDS in 1990. The current authorization for the CARE Act expired on September 30, 2005. |
