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Congressional Testimony
April 12, 2000, Wednesday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 1947 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY April 12, 2000 EVA M. CLAYTON REPRESENTATIVE SENATE
APPROPRIATIONS LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION LABOR, HHS
APPROPRIATIONS
BODY:
TESTIMONY OF REPRESENTATIVE
EVA M. CLAYTON NORTH CAROLINA FIRST DISTRICT BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATION APRIL 12, 2000
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Obey, Members of the Subcommittee, I want to thank
you for this opportunity to appear before you today to testify on the importance
of supporting increased funding for HIV and Aids prevention, care, and research.
I am thankful, that many people with aids today are living longer lives. In
1996, the number of new AIDS cases reported in the U.S. declined by 6 percent
over 1995. However, it is apparent that HIV positive individuals are on the
rise, and as a result, HIV/AIDS remains a major killer of young men and women.
It is the leading cause of death for African-Americans, and the second leading
cause of death for Latino's between the ages of 25 and 44. It is my
understanding that HIV will kill more than 40,000 Americans this year, half of
them under the age of 25; and it will cost nearly $200,000 on average, to care
for each person in need of these special services. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has
dramatically impacted ethnic minority Americans since the beginning of the
epidemic. African Americans represent 37 percent of all AIDS cases ever reported
to CDC, and Latinos represent 18 percent. These figures are increasing. HIV/AIDS
has had a significant impact on young Americans, including teenagers and young
adults. I was very disturbed to learn that young people under the age of 25 are
now becoming infected, although they are heterosexual. Since the first case of
AIDS was diagnosed in the U.S. in 1981, more than 711,000 Americans have been
diagnosed with AIDS, and more than 800,000 are living with HIV. Federal spending
on HIV/AIDS has grown where it totaled almost $10 billion in fiscal year 1999.
In recent years, the introduction of newer and more effective therapies has led
to dramatic reductions in mortality and morbidity and an increase in the number
of people living with HIV/AIDS. Discretionary spending for HIV/AIDS in FY 1999
included: Program FY 1999 Spending Research$1 billion 801 million Ryan
White CARE Act$1 billion 411 million Prevention$678 million Veterans
Affairs$403 million HOPWA$225 million Other$463 million Total4 billion 981
million Entitlement Spending and HIV/AIDS Program FY 1999 Spending Medicaid
(Federal Share) $2 billion 100 million Medicare $1 billion 500 million SSDI $776
million SSI $360 million Total$4 billion 736 million A total of $9.7 billion
dollars was spent in FY 1999 with the largest amount spent on care 7 1.1% and
19% on research. The President's FY 2001 Discretionary HIV/AIDs Budget, By
Agency would include: Agency FY 2001 Proposed FDA $70 million CDC $795 million
HRSA $1 billion 719.6 million NIH$2 billion 111.1 million SAMHA $128 million HUD
$260 million The President's FY 2001 Ryan White CARE ACT BUDGET
would total $1 billion 719.6 million. The President has requested an increase of
$125 million for the CARE Act, including $26 million for AIDS Drug Assistance
Program (ADAP). While this request does not begin to meet the projected need
according of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
(NASTAD), an increase of $130 million is required for ADAP alone, in order to
adhere to NIH guidelines calling for aggressive and early treatment and to
address the explosive growth in demand for the new therapies among uninsured and
underinsured people living long with HIV/AIDS. I urge you to provide increased
ADAP finding in at least this amount together with the highest possible funding
levels for other CARE act services. To further support services for the infected
and sometimes rejected people with aids, along with other colleagues, a letter
to the Appropriations Committee urging a funding level of $292 million for the
Housing Opportunities-for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program. The
Shays/Nadler/Crowley/Morelia Amendment would authorize this level for FY 2001.
This worthwhile program needs full funding. The President has requested an
additional $40 million for HIV/AIDS prevention at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. If the CDC is to meet its goal of cutting the new
infection rate in half by 2004 as an urgent national priority, I would urge the
Subcommittee to do everything it can to enable the CDC to implement its plan to
arrest the spread of this deadly disease that is destroying lives and costing
billions. AIDS/HIV is increasing in the youth populations at an alarming rate,
particularly vulnerable are young teenage girls in the rural south according to
Dr. Helene Gayles, Director for the National Center for HIV and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases STDs. Education and prevention outreach is especially
needed in poor rural areas in the southern states. We need more opportunities to
get the message out. Therefore, I urge funding for Rural Health Service Corps
and rural health medicare programs to assist with the growing needs of
underserved populations most likely to see an increase in AIDS/HIV cases. I urge
funding for the National Health Service Corps for FY 2000 funding in the amount
of 116.9, and FY 2001 funding amounting to $157 million dollars to help cover
increasing cost of rural health care. I recommend also Medicare Rural Health
Flexibility Program funding at $25 million dollars for FY 2000 and $25 million
for FY 2001. Aggressive, targeted research has led to important new treatments
but more needs to be done. Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
that is on par with the 15 percent increase Congress provided last year needs
strong consideration. To ensure that AIDS research dollars are spent in the most
coordinated and cost- effective manner, I urge the Subcommittee to provide a
consolidated appropriation to the Office of AIDS Research for distribution in
accordance with the OAR director's strategic plan. Certainly, I commend the
support that the Subcommittee has given to AIDS/HIV prevention, care, and
research in the past, but I urge full funding for all AIDS/HIV programs now to
curtail the epidemic before it is too late to control an even more costly
endeavor. Thank you again for this opportunity to appear before you today to
discuss the importance of fully funding programs for the prevention and research
for AIDS and HIV.
LOAD-DATE: April 27, 2000, Thursday
