Congress reauthorizes Ryan White Care Act - funding for HIV/AIDS

The New York Times: "The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation allocating billions of dollars in federal money for the treatment of HIV and AIDS.  By a vote of 408-9, the House reauthorized the Ryan White Care Act, first enacted in 1990 and named for the Indiana teenager who died of AIDS. The Senate has already passed the bill by unanimous consent."

"The bill ... approves an additional four years of funding for the program, which is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services to about 500,000 lower-income people each year. It allocates $2.55 billion for fiscal year 2010, with that figure rising to $2.95 billion by the 2013 fiscal year" (Becker, 10/21).

Dow Jones Newswires: "Both the Senate and House bills state the federal government must establish a goal of testing 5 million patients annually for HIV and AIDS. Federal health agencies will have to report to Congress to detail whether they met the goal" (Favole, 10/21).