"On a Scale of Sorrows"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"On a Scale of Sorrows"

Washington Post (Business) (12/28/92), P. 1
McKee, Bradford

Abstract: Many people in the Washington, D.C., area have experienced some sort of setback after their AIDS-infected status was discovered by their employers, according to local legal and health care experts who track the disease. Dinah Wiley, legal services director for the District's Whitman-Walker AIDS Clinic, said that instances of AIDS-related bias emerge once or twice a week in the city, and virtually all cases are settled privately between the employer and the employee. Approximately 2,500 people in the Washington area have AIDS, while 20,000 or more in the city alone may be infected with HIV. Employees infected with HIV or AIDS face pressure because employers experience a sharp rise in health care costs or have concerns, often misplaced, about health risks to co-workers and customers, said experts. Wiley said in most cases, employers deny AIDS-related bias, and take steps against the employee because of worries about medical insurance costs. In the past three years, 17 people in the District have filed complaints with the Department of Human Rights alleging AIDS bias by employers. Regardless of AIDS education efforts, some employers who act against employees are motivated more by fear of AIDS than by concern over health costs. The Health Insurance Association of America is encouraging insurers and policy-holders to deal with AIDS "like any other disease," said spokesman Donald White. The group has supported a proposal requiring the overhaul of group insurance for smaller employers, in order to guarantee health care to all Americans, despite their conditions.

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