[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 154 (Thursday, October 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS TREATMENT EXTENSION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 21, 2009

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for 
S. 1793, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act.
  We all know the troubling statistics. Since its inception, AIDS has 
claimed almost 600,000 lives in the United States. Over 1 million 
Americans are living with HIV/AIDS today. Recent data from the Center 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that HIV diagnoses are 
increasing, by as much as 15 percent in three years. As the AIDS crisis 
has continued year after year, it has become more and more difficult 
for anyone to claim that AIDS is someone else's problem.
  Since 1990, the Ryan White program has helped establish a 
comprehensive, community-based continuum of care for uninsured and 
under-insured people living with HIV and AIDS, including access to 
primary medical care, pharmaceuticals, and other services. In New 
Jersey, Ryan White funding helps support the state's AIDS Drug 
Assistance Program, which in 2008 provided almost 5,000 patients with 
needed HIV medications.
  As we debate health care reform, it is important that we keep the 
needs of HIV/AIDS patients in mind. I have spoken out in favor of 
reforming Medicare Part D to work seamlessly with state AIDS Drug 
Assistance Programs and to ensure these patients have continuous access 
to their needed anti-retroviral prescriptions. These provisions are 
currently included in America's Affordable Health Choices Act, and I 
look forward to working with my colleagues to strengthen these policies 
for HIV/AIDS patients.
  By passing S. 1793 today, Madam Speaker, we will affirm our 
commitment to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. We also 
will be affirming our dedication to sound public policy. By 
reauthorizing the Ryan White Act, we will give hope and a real chance 
for a better life to thousands of HIV/AIDS victims.

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