STUNNING NEW AIDS STATISTICS FOR 2004

The Fair Foundation encourages its members to investigate our federal government's research funding and alert us when they find important information. One such member, 79-year old Jim Pennington, mailed a 15 page "Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report" to us entitled AIDS FUNDING for FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMS: FY1981-FY2004. According to Jim's Congressman’s Aide, this report is not on the internet and is not available to the public except through a Congressperson. Also, the Aide stated that such a report is only produced for one other disease: cancer. Jim's daughter died of cancer and Jim correctly feels AIDS is receiving excessive funding. These CRS reports are produced by the Congressional Research Service, a branch of the Library of Congress providing nonpartisan research reports to members of the House and Senate.

As you read the following information from page 10 of the CRS report, remember this: the $3,053 figure stated on our “Updated Facts” page, which is the amount spent by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on each patient estimated as having AIDS, is derived from the NIH 2003 AIDS allocation of 2.8 Billion.  

• The total Federal Budget for all AIDS programs in the USA will be 18 Billion.   Keep in mind the federal budget for research on ALL diseases is only 11 Billion more than that (29 Billion)
   

• The total Health and Human Services (HHS) AIDS budget will be 14 Billion (2.9 Billion of which is research as referenced above)
   

• Expenditures for AIDS patient “Treatment” will total 11 Billion
   

• Expenditures for AIDS “Income Support” will total 1.74 Billion 
   

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will receive 932 million of AIDS money and another 192 Million will go to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
   

• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)--Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) accounts for another 343 Million
   

• The US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will receive another 297 million for its HOPWA program (Housing Opportunities for Person with AIDS. (See here: View ). This program has spent well over two Billion dollars providing housing assistance to AIDS patients over the past ten years. The budget expenditures are listed here: View  Please compare them to the housing assistance your disease of interest receives
   

• Although the NIH budget for all diseases was increased only approximately 2% this year, (after increased expenses, that is a net decrease) the total AIDS expenditures will be raised 9% 
   

• Remember, in addition to these sums, Billions are spent on AIDS by the following: pharmaceutical companies, the 50 states, the Bill Gates Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, tax-exempt organizations (amfAR, etc.), Hollywood and the music community (Elton John, etc.).
   

• and finally, the 18 Billion above does not include the 15 Billion that was recently authorized for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean to fight AIDS, Malaria & TB. That totals 33 Billion dollars budgeted mostly for AIDS.
  
   Note the amount allocated for research on your disease of interest HERE
   

• The 2002 AIDS death total of 372 in newly infected patients in California represents a 96% decrease from its high. The 2003 death total in CA through Oct 31 is 122. See it HERE on Page 2 The CDC estimated 16,371 deaths from AIDS in 2002 with 233 under the age of 24. See it HERE Cardiovascular disease kills 950,000 each year and receives over 1/2 Billion dollars less in research funding than AIDS.

Please share the above information by forwarding this Newsletter to others.
For a copy of page 10 of the CRS report, email FAIR@dc.rr.com with "Report" in the Subject line

 Please help us in our efforts to gain fair and equitable NIH distributions for ALL diseases by joining here: JOIN.  All member sign-up information is confidential. Jim Pennington's name and personal information used with permission

The FAIR Foundation
78629 Bougainvillea Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92211  
E-mail: FAIR@dc.rr.com

FAIR Mission Statement: The FAIR Foundation is dedicated to fair and equitable distribution of research funds by the NIH for all diseases, including the 16 that kill a million more Americans than AIDS. A disease’s mortality rate shall be given emphasis in determining allocations and other secondary factors shall be utilized to insure diseases that cause great suffering but have low mortality rates will also receive significantly increased funding.

and please remember....

FAIR is an acronym for Fair Allocations In Research. FAIR is fair.