A bill introduced in U.S. Congress aims to financially strengthen Ryan White clinics by ensuring they can get the same Medicaid reimbursements that go to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

Titled the HIV Clinical Services Improvement Act, the legislation was introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mark Pocan, both Democrats from Wisconsin.

HIV clinics that are not FQHCs receive substantially lower reimbursement rates for providing the same high-quality health care, according to a press release from the AIDS Recourse Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), which supports the bill.

“HIV/AIDS remains a public health crisis in our country and despite medical advances, people living with HIV still face significant physical, emotional, and financial burdens to quality health care,” Baldwin said her office’s press release. “I’m proud to introduce the HIV Clinical Services Improvement Act in order to improve health care access for some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

A statement by Baldwin’s office reads: “Part C of the Ryan White Program directly funds community clinics and health centers that deliver quality, comprehensive HIV care to over 275,000 people a year. As many Part C clinics serve a large number of our underserved and uninsured, they often struggle with insufficient funding and Medicaid reimbursement.
“Since 2001, the number of patients served by Part C increased by 74 percent, while funding only increased by 8 percent.”

“HIV/AIDS remains a public health crisis in our country and despite medical advances, people living with HIV still face significant physical, emotional, and financial burdens to quality health care,” Baldwin said in the press release. “I’m proud to introduce the HIV Clinical Services Improvement Act in order to improve health care access for some of the most vulnerable in our society.”