Ryan White Care Act of 1990: Opportunities Are Available to Improve
Funding Equity (Testimony, 04/05/95, GAO/T-HEHS-95-126).

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 makes
federal funding available to cities that have been especially hard hit
by the AIDS epidemic.  In fiscal year 1994, $326 million was distributed
to 34 eligible metropolitan areas in 17 state, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico.  GAO testified that the act's funding formulas have
resulted in per case funding disparities that are, to a great extent,
unrelated to service costs or to the ability of state and cities to pay
for services from local sources.  These funding disparities result from
the fact that (1) eligible metropolitan area cases are inappropriately
double counted under the act's formulas, (2) there is no indicator that
reflects differences in the cost of providing services in both states
and eligible metropolitan areas, and (3) formula factors inappropriately
measure caseloads and funding capacity.  Greater funding equity could be
achieved by eliminating the inappropriate double counting of AIDS cases
and by using more appropriate measures of state and city needs.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-HEHS-95-126
     TITLE:  Ryan White Care Act of 1990: Opportunities Are Available to 
             Improve Funding Equity
      DATE:  04/05/95
   SUBJECT:  Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
             Infectious diseases
             Federal funds
             Federal aid to states
             Formula grants
             Health care services
             Beneficiaries
             Taxpayers
             Evaluation criteria
             Public health legislation
IDENTIFIER:  AIDS
             Medicare Hospital Wage Cost Index
             
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