Edwards offers specifics of his plans to fight AIDS

[JohnLocke]

Edwards offers specifics of his plans to fight AIDS
By Tony Leys--Des Moines Register
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
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Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards vowed Monday to step up the fight against AIDS in the United States and around the world.

The former North Carolina senator promised to take several steps against the deadly disease. He said he would:

*Increase resources to stop the disease among blacks and Latinos, who have higher rates of infection.
*Expand Medicaid to let people infected with the AIDS virus receive coverage earlier in the disease process.
*Ensure "age-appropriate" sex education and back programs that give clean needles to intravenous drug users.
*Spend $50 billion over five years to increase the ability of people in poor countries to receive AIDS drugs and use U.S. trade policies to ensure that those countries can buy generic drugs at fair prices.

Edwards, one of the leading Democratic candidates for president, unveiled the proposals in a speech at a health forum in Washington, D.C. He noted that he also supports universal health care.

"We can't talk seriously about ending HIV/AIDS without guaranteeing health for every single man, woman and child in America," he said in remarks prepared for the forum. "Let me blunt: If you don't have health insurance - good health insurance - you are substantially more likely to die from this disease."

A group called Iowans for AIDS Action praised Edwards for offering specific proposals. "Edwards is the first one to put out a plan, and we hope the rest of the candidates use this as an impetus to put out their own plans," said group member Kaytee Riek of Pleasant Hill.

Iowans for AIDS Action, which bills itself as a loose-knit coalition of activists, patients and health care providers, said Edwards' proposals address all the main issues involving the disease.

Riek, who was a Philadelphia-based activist before moving to Iowa, said the group has been attending campaign events and prodding candidates to give detailed proposals. Edwards was the first to respond, she said.

Some candidates have done impressive things in Congress to help the fight against AIDS, Riek said. "But your record in the past is not always an indicator of what you will do in the future," she said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070925/NEWS09/709250386/-1/SPORTS01

[JohnLocke]

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