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GLOBAL AIDS FUNDING GETS BOOSTS WHILE DOMESTIC SERVICES ARE THREATENED
The Friends of AIDS Foundation (FOA) today acknowledged funding increases for several
international HIV/AIDS programs in President Bush’s proposed 2008 budget, while urging
Congress to resist the president’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare over the next five
years.
“Domestic health care programs take a hard hit in this budget,” said The Friends of AIDS
Foundation President & Founder Anthony Bongiorno. “HIV/AIDS programs are once again under-
funded while cuts to entitlement programs are precisely the wrong approach to the health care
crisis in America.”
The Bush budget calls for some $76 billion in cuts to Medicare – mostly to providers such as
hospitals, nursing homes, hospice and home health providers – and $26 billion in cuts to
Medicaid, largely through payments to the states.
The California Hospital Association reports the cuts could cost California $1.5 billion in federal
Medicaid dollars and threaten Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health care reform proposals.
Medicaid and Medicare are the largest sources of federal funding for care and treatment for
people living with HIV/AIDS.
“Cutting provider rates and state Medicaid payments will just make it more difficult for low-
income people to access medical care." said Bongiorno. “Today there are more people than
ever living with HIV/AIDS and more low-income individuals relying on these programs.”
The president’s proposed budget includes $97 million in increases to Title II of the Ryan White
CARE Act, which provides drug therapies for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. The budget
also calls for $5.4 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including
an additional $1.2 billion for global HIV/AIDS programs, and $300 million for the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
"We recognize that President Bush has really stepped up to the plate when it comes to fighting
AIDS internationally,” Bongiorno said. “We need the same kind of commitment to fighting the
epidemic here at home."
There are now more people than ever living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and by some
estimates, CARE Act funding has declined in some programs by 25 percent in real dollars since
2000.
The president’s budget also proposes cuts to low-income energy assistance programs, food
stamps, assistance with child care, housing for seniors, and other social services programs.
“The new leadership in the House and Senate needs to rethink health care spending in America
so we can actually meet and treat the health care needs of all Americans.”
About The Friends of AIDS Foundation
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals
infected with HIV/AIDS and committed to preventing the future spread of this disease. FOA
programs and services utilize the harm reduction philosophy, which provides the necessary
information, options and support, so that individuals can make healthy choices and prevent the
transmission of HIV.
At The Friends of AIDS Foundation, we strive to eradicate HIV/AIDS by creating awareness,
delivering the crucial message: HIV DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE, and helping individuals create
the social change that is necessary to end this epidemic.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation (FOA) today acknowledged funding increases for several
international HIV/AIDS programs in President Bush’s proposed 2008 budget, while urging
Congress to resist the president’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare over the next five
years.
“Domestic health care programs take a hard hit in this budget,” said The Friends of AIDS
Foundation President & Founder Anthony Bongiorno. “HIV/AIDS programs are once again under-
funded while cuts to entitlement programs are precisely the wrong approach to the health care
crisis in America.”
The Bush budget calls for some $76 billion in cuts to Medicare – mostly to providers such as
hospitals, nursing homes, hospice and home health providers – and $26 billion in cuts to
Medicaid, largely through payments to the states.
The California Hospital Association reports the cuts could cost California $1.5 billion in federal
Medicaid dollars and threaten Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health care reform proposals.
Medicaid and Medicare are the largest sources of federal funding for care and treatment for
people living with HIV/AIDS.
“Cutting provider rates and state Medicaid payments will just make it more difficult for low-
income people to access medical care." said Bongiorno. “Today there are more people than
ever living with HIV/AIDS and more low-income individuals relying on these programs.”
The president’s proposed budget includes $97 million in increases to Title II of the Ryan White
CARE Act, which provides drug therapies for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. The budget
also calls for $5.4 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including
an additional $1.2 billion for global HIV/AIDS programs, and $300 million for the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
"We recognize that President Bush has really stepped up to the plate when it comes to fighting
AIDS internationally,” Bongiorno said. “We need the same kind of commitment to fighting the
epidemic here at home."
There are now more people than ever living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and by some
estimates, CARE Act funding has declined in some programs by 25 percent in real dollars since
2000.
The president’s budget also proposes cuts to low-income energy assistance programs, food
stamps, assistance with child care, housing for seniors, and other social services programs.
“The new leadership in the House and Senate needs to rethink health care spending in America
so we can actually meet and treat the health care needs of all Americans.”
About The Friends of AIDS Foundation
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals
infected with HIV/AIDS and committed to preventing the future spread of this disease. FOA
programs and services utilize the harm reduction philosophy, which provides the necessary
information, options and support, so that individuals can make healthy choices and prevent the
transmission of HIV.
At The Friends of AIDS Foundation, we strive to eradicate HIV/AIDS by creating awareness,
delivering the crucial message: HIV DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE, and helping individuals create
the social change that is necessary to end this epidemic.
February 8th, 2007
Contact: Anthony Bongiorno
Phone: 310.401.4755
Contact: Anthony Bongiorno
Phone: 310.401.4755