Governor's Budget Fully Funds California's AIDS Drug Program

On the afternoon of January 10, 2006, AIDS advocates breathed a collective sigh of relief when Governor Schwarzenegger, for the second year in a row, proposed increased funding for the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) that would ensure access for all Californians eligible for the program. ADAP, which provides HIV medications to low-income people who cannot otherwise afford them, has become a lifeline for thousands of people living with the disease. The program receives both federal and state funding, and assuring that it is fully funded is among the highest priorities of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation's Public Policy Department.

The Bush administration has seriously under-funded the program in recent years, leaving thousands of people in many states without access to the medications they need. Because of the strong support of California's Governor and Legislature, however, the state's ADAP is among the strongest in the nation. The Governor's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2006-07 would fund ADAP at nearly $300 million, allowing the program to serve an estimated 31,600 individuals who will need access to the program (an increase of 1,600 individuals over the current year).

"Governor Schwarzenegger has once again shown his deep understanding of the importance of assuring access to HIV medications for all Californians," said Dana Van Gorder, the AIDS Foundation's director of state and local affairs. "The ability of people living with HIV to access this program is a matter of life and death. The Governor's budget proposal maintains California as one of the most compassionate and effective states in addressing the epidemic."

As he has in the past, the Governor proposed level funding for all other state HIV/AIDS programs in his budget proposal. Advocates, however, are urging state officials to provide increased funding for several other HIV-related programs, including reforms that would help address some of the problems created by the new Medicare drug benefit (see related story on page 2) and funding to enhance the state's HIV prevention efforts with a specific emphasis on reducing HIV infections that are connected to methamphetamine use.

"There is clear evidence that a significant portion of HIV infections in California are being driven by methamphetamine use," explained Van Gorder. "The state needs to play a leadership role in addressing this issue by funding efforts to treat and prevent methamphetamine use among gay men."