AIDS: the risks to insurers, the threat to equity. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1987. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Click here to return to AIDSLINE main menu
DonateNow
Print this Article


AIDS: the risks to insurers, the threat to equity.

Hastings Cent Rep. 1986 Oct;16(5):18-22. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/87032863
Oppenheimer GM; Padgug RA

Abstract: The AIDS crisis poses a special challenge for American health care, which depends heavily on private insurance to pay medical bills. Can we provide adequate health care to all who need it and still meet the financial requirements of the private health insurance industry? More insurance carriers are turning to antibody testing in order to eliminate poor risks from non-group, direct-pay pools. Some cost-conscious employers have attempted to fire AIDS patients summarily or to exclude AIDS coverage from group insurance policies. Various remedies are available for spreading the financial risks of the epidemic, such as covering persons with AIDS under Medicare or in state-sponsored health insurance pools. Ethical questions about cost and access may also rekindle the debate about the need for national health insurance.
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*ECONOMICS AIDS-Related Complex/ECONOMICS Cost Control/TRENDS Financing, Government/ECONOMICS Human Insurance, Health/*ECONOMICS Medical Indigency United States JOURNAL ARTICLE

KWDacquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome/KWDeconomicsaids-relatedcomplex/economicscostcontrol/trendsfinancing,government/economicshumaninsurance,health/KWDeconomicsmedicalindigencyunitedstatesjournalarticle
870228
M8720235

Copyright © 1987 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1987. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1987. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .