Ryan White C.A.R.E. Act

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act was signed into law on August 18, 1990 as a bipartisan measure. The law was named after 18 year old Ryan White who lost his life in the battle against AIDS in April of the same year. Ryan contracted the disease through a blood transfusion as a part of his treatment for hemophilia in 1984. The blood used in the transfusion came from an individual who was HIV+. At the time, there was very little known about AIDS and even less in terms of treatment and management. Since the original signing of the CARE Act there have been four reauthorizations of it (1996, 2000, 2006, and most recently 2009). To view the Ryan White CARE Act legislation, please see the resources at the bottom of the page.

The Ryan White legislation provides medical services and treatment to individuals that are incapable of receiving them from other sources, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. The CARE act is split into five "parts", originally called titles. The parts and their purposes are as follows:

Part A: Provides funding to Metropolitan areas most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS.

Part B: Provides funding to all US states, territories, districts, and jurisdictions for individuals infected with HIV. It also includes The Aids Drug Assistant Program (ADAP).

Part C: Provides out patient primary care for individuals living with HIV.

Part D: Provides family centered care for women, infants, children, and youth living with HIV.

Part F: Provides for the following programs:

The Special Projects of National Significance Program
The AIDS Education and Training Centers Program
The Dental Programs
The Minority AIDS Initiative

To learn more about the Ryan White CARE Act please visit the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) website.