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Session of 2000
          House Concurrent Resolution No. 5076           By Committee on Appropriations           3-21          

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10             A  CONCURRENT  RESOLUTION memorializing the Congress of the
11             United States to expeditiously reauthorize the Ryan White Compre-
12             hensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in order to ensure
13             that the expanding medical care and support services needs of individ-
14             uals living with HIV disease are met.
15      
16             WHEREAS,  The State of Kansas created an HIV/AIDS Section within
17       the Department of Health and Environment to proactively address issues
18       relating to HIV/AIDS, and which office now directly administers the ex-
19       penditure of Federal and State funds to combat the disease; and
20             WHEREAS,  It is estimated by the Kansas HIV/AIDS Surveillance and
21       Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than 3,000 resi-
22       dents of Kansas are currently living with HIV disease and it is estimated
23       that approximately 1/3 of Kansans with HIV disease are unaware of their
24       diagnosis, and hundreds of individuals know that they are HIV-positive
25       but are not receiving care regularly; and
26             WHEREAS,  Due to advancements in increasingly expensive phar-
27       maceutical therapies and an increasing focus on early intervention and
28       treatment, the number of individuals living with HIV disease has grown
29       significantly; the progression from HIV to an AIDS diagnosis for many
30       has slowed considerably as a result of these therapies and the reduction
31       in the number of deaths from HIV disease have declined dramatically;
32       and
33             WHEREAS,  It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and
34       Prevention that there are 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States
35       each year; and
36             WHEREAS,  HIV/AIDS in Kansas disproportionately impacts com-
37       munities of color, gay and bisexual men and women, as well as econom-
38       ically-depressed and other underserved communities; and
39             WHEREAS,  Kansas looks to the Federal Government to assist the
40       State in meeting the expanding health care and social services needs of
41       people living with HIV disease; and
42             WHEREAS,  The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources
43       Emergency (CARE) Act was first adopted by Congress in 1990; and

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  1             WHEREAS,  The Ryan White CARE Act expires on September 30,
  2       2000; and
  3             WHEREAS,  Since its inception, the Ryan White CARE Act has en-
  4       sured the delivery of vital medical care and treatment and essential sup-
  5       port services to thousands of people, including medical examinations, lab-
  6       oratory procedures and evaluations, pharmaceuticals, dental care, case
  7       management, transportation, housing, legal assistance, benefits education
  8       and assistance, treatment education and adherence, and mental health
  9       counseling; and
10             WHEREAS,  Under Federal law, the Ryan White CARE Act is des-
11       ignated as the provider of last resort; therefore, it is recognized as the
12       critical safety net program for low-income uninsured or underinsured
13       individuals; and
14             WHEREAS,  Funding under Title II of the Ryan White CARE Act
15       pays for care, treatment and social services; and
16             WHEREAS,  Over 70% of this funding pays for life-extending and life-
17       saving pharmaceuticals under Kansas's AIDS Drug Assistance Program
18       (ADAP); and
19             WHEREAS,  Title III of the Ryan White CARE Act provides funding
20       to public and private nonprofit entities in Kansas for outpatient early
21       intervention and primary care services: Now, therefore,
22             Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Kansas,
23       the Senate concurring therein:
24             That the Kansas Legislature hereby affirms its support of the Ryan
25       White CARE Act, and urges the Congress of the United States to expe-
26       ditiously reauthorize and adequately fund the Act in order to ensure that
27       the expanding medical care and support services needs of individuals
28       living with HIV disease are met;
29             That the Kansas Legislature hereby urges that Congress as it reau-
30       thorizes the act and establishes the formulas for allocation of funding
31       ensures that states with large rural areas and with lower morbidity are
32       not forgotten and are provided with adequate funding as the provision of
33       care in these areas is more difficult and often more expensive per capita
34       than urban and suburban areas;
35             That the Kansas Legislature hereby urges Congress to take note of
36       pharmaceutical costs which have increased at rates in excess of 10% per
37       year and continue to have a dramatic impact on the Ryan White Care Act
38       and other programs, and explores ways to reduce the impact of this issue
39       on health care costs; and
40             Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to
41       transmit a copy of this resolution to the President and Vice President of
42       the United States, the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the Speaker
43       of the House of Representatives and the House Minority Leader, the

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  1       Chairpersons and Ranking Minority Members of the Senate Health, Ed-
  2       ucation, Labor and Pensions, Appropriations, and Budget Committees,
  3       and to the Chairpersons and Ranking Minority Members of the House
  4       Commerce, Appropriations, and Budget Committees, and to each Sen-
  5       ator and Representative from Kansas in the Congress of the United
  6       States.
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