Medicare program spent $2.1 billion on costs related to HIV/AIDS

Medicare is a Federal program providing health insurance to both the elderly and
disabled, covering the medical care of more than 39 million Americans. Medicare is
the largest health insurance program in the United States and serves all eligible
beneficiaries regardless of income or medical history. An estimated 20% of adults
living with HIV/AIDS receive medical coverage through Medicare. Medicare covers
basic medical services, but it does not cover outpatient prescription drugs or long-term
care. In FY2002, the Medicare program spent $2.1 billion on costs related to
HIV/AIDS.The Social Security Administration provides two major benefit programs related to
HIV/AIDS. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides insurance for people
who are disabled, partially paying for hospital and hospice care, laboratory tests, home
care, and other medical services. Individual SSDI benefit amounts correspond to the
amount contributed into Social Security by the individual while they were working.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides financial support for people who are
disabled and have extremely low incomes and resources. In FY2002, the SSDI and SSI
programs spent more than $1.3 billion on care for people living with HIV/AIDSAt a cost of $1.9 billion of federal government spending each year, the Ryan White
CARE Act represents approximately 13% of U.S. government investment in the fight
against HIV/AIDS. Ryan White CARE Act programs fund primary health care and
support services for people with HIV/AIDS who lack health insurance and financial
resources. Each year, CARE Act programs reach more than 500,000 individuals living
with, or at risk for, HIV।
The four largest components of the Ryan White CARE Act are:
• Title I (Part A) which provides $620 million to 51 eligible metropolitan areas
disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS,
• Title II (Part B) which provides $639 million - one-third of CARE Act funding - to
pay for HIV/AIDS treatments through the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs
(ADAP) in each state, and an additional $338 million to states and territories to
improve the quality, availability, and organization of care for people living with
HIV/AIDS,
• Title III (Part C) which provides $195 million directly to community-based
providers for early intervention and primary care services for people living with
HIV/AIDS, and
• Title IV (Part D) providing $71 million aimed at enhancing access to care for
children, youth, and women with HIV or at risk for HIV through several hundred
clinical care sites।
In FY2002, approximately $2.6 billion, or 18% of federal HIV/AIDS spending, was
dedicated to HIV/AIDS research. Nearly all (95%) of this funding was directed to the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), distributed among 24 institutes and centers. NIH
AIDS research is divided into 12 areas of emphasis, which include natural history and
epidemiology, etiology and pathogenesis, therapeutics, vaccines, microbicides, and
behavioral and social science research. Approximately 10% of the NIH budget is used
for intramural research at the NIH laboratories, and 80 to 85% of funding is channeled
through extramural grants and contracts to more than 2,000 research universities and
centers around the world.In FY2002, approximately $2.6 billion, or 18% of federal HIV/AIDS spending, was
dedicated to HIV/AIDS research. Nearly all (95%) of this funding was directed to the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), distributed among 24 institutes and centers. NIH
AIDS research is divided into 12 areas of emphasis, which include natural history and
epidemiology, etiology and pathogenesis, therapeutics, vaccines, microbicides, and
behavioral and social science research. Approximately 10% of the NIH budget is used
for intramural research at the NIH laboratories, and 80 to 85% of funding is channeled
through extramural grants and contracts to more than 2,000 research universities and
centers around the world.Federal spending on prevention of HIV/AIDS amounted to approximately 7% of the
total U.S. government HIV/AIDS funding in FY2002. The CDC is the primary agency
involved in domestic U.S. prevention activities. Within the CDC, the National Center
for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP) is in charge of public health surveillance,
prevention research, and prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, other sexuallytransmitted
diseases (STDs) and tuberculosis (TB). Key programs include:
• HIV Prevention and Surveillance Cooperative Agreements with 65 state and
local health departments, to fund HIV counseling and testing services, public
health education and risk-reduction efforts, community planning, and
epidemiology and surveillance,
• Direct funding to 22 national and regional racial and ethnic minority
community-based organizations and nearly 100 other community-based
organizations for HIV prevention programs,