What Is the Ryan White CARE Act?
On August 18, 1990, the Federal Government enacted Public Law 101-381, entitled the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. This law was reauthorized and amended in both 1996 and 2000, each time for an additional five years. The current CARE Act guarantees federal support for medical and support services for low-income, uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV disease through and including fiscal year 2005, which ends on February 28, 2006. The CARE Act represents the largest dollar investment to date specifically for the delivery of services for poor or underserved People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The intention of the CARE Act is to help communities and States increase the availability of primary health care and support services, in order to reduce utilization of more costly inpatient care, increase access to care for underserved populations and improve the quality of life of those affected by the epidemic. Briefly, the CARE Act is divided into five d
