In the news ... 2007

President Bush Continues His Attack
on Health Care Programs

Project Inform Calls On Congress To Reject Harmful Budget

This week, President Bush released his Fiscal Year 2008 budget. This budget proposal continues his relentless attack on domestic public health programs by calling for nearly $100 billion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare over the next five years. It also flat-funds the Ryan White CARE Act, except a minimal $25 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

“Same story, different year,” said Anne Donnelly, Director of Health Care Advocacy. “President Bush continues to call for balancing the budget on the backs of the sickest and poorest Americans, while promoting permanent tax cuts for the most wealthy. His priorities are wrong and Congress should reject this budget.”

Medicaid and Medicare are the two largest payers of care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Medicaid already suffers from the funding cuts and harmful program changes in the Deficit Reduction Act, signed into law in early 2006. The Ryan White CARE Act funds primary care, treatment, and support services for low-income people with HIV/AIDS who are uninsured or underinsured. The bill was recently reauthorized, but suffers from years of insufficient funding.

“Fortunately, new leaders in Congress have made it clear that health care for Americans is a top priority,” added Ryan Clary, Associate Director of Health Care Advocacy. “We urge Congress to reverse the disastrous trend of the Bush Administration’s health care policies and develop its own budget that not only protects, but expands, care and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS and others in need.”

Project Inform will work with its advocacy partners to defeat Medicaid and Medicare cuts and for increased funding for all Titles of the Ryan White CARE Act. It will also organize people with HIV/AIDS and those who care for them to communicate directly with their elected representatives about the need for a strong national commitment to health care.