[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 123 (Thursday, July 27, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10789-S10790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                THE RYAN WHITE CARE REAUTHORIZATION BILL
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to congratulate the chairwoman of 
the Committee on Health and Human Resources, Senator Nancy Landon-
Kassebaum, on the passage of the Ryan White CARE Reauthorization act of 
1995. The act assures that AIDS-related services will be available to 
people in big cities, small towns, and rural communities all across the 
country, it also ensures that funding is provided for Indian AIDS 
victims.
  Some may recall that during the original debate on the Ryan White 
CARE Act in 1990, I, and several of my colleagues on the Senate Indian 
Affairs Committee, offered an amendment to title II of the bill to 
ensure that Indians with HIV and their families were eligible to 
participate in the special projects of national significance. That 
provision was accepted and as a result, hundreds of Indians with HIV, 
who would otherwise have had great difficulty accessing services, have 
been served.
  Many in the Congress are not aware that in comparison to other 
populations, Indians are among the highest at-risk populations for the 
HIV infection. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 
in just 2 years, from 1988 to 1990, the number of reported American 
Indian AIDS cases increased by 120 percent in comparison to an overall 
national increase of 35 percent. Unfortunately, this trend still 

[[Page S 10790]]
continues. Today, the CDC reports that since the passage of the Ryan 
White CARE Act in 1990, the number of American Indian AIDS cases has 
increased by approximately 351 percent. This is the largest growth rate 
of HIV in any population group nationwide. What is equally alarming is 
that Indian women in their first through third trimester of pregnancy 
were up to eight times more likely to be living with HIV than other 
rural populations of women.
  There is also a general misconception that the health care needs of 
Indians with HIV are provided by the Indian Health Service. That is not 
the case. What is not generally known is that the IHS has an extremely 
limited capacity, in funding and services, to provide the necessary and 
delicate care often required by HIV victims. The act recognizes this by 
ensuring that Indians with HIV are not deprived of necessary services.
  I know that the chairwoman and her staff have labored long and hard 
to address the concerns of the Congress in developing the Ryan White 
CARE Reauthorization bill. As the chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Indian Affairs I would like to commend her for her continuing concern 
for the Nation's Indian population and the passage of this critical 
legislation. And I'm sure she shares my hope, that one day soon we will 
find a cure for this tragic disease. But until then, it is the 
Congress' responsibility to ensure that all individuals with HIV 
receive the services needed to cope with this devastating illness on a 
day-to-day basis. Chairwoman Kassebaum has accomplished this, and for 
that, she has my praise.


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