The Care of HIV-Infected Adults in the United States

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

The Care of HIV-Infected Adults in the United States

New England Journal of Medicine (12/24/98) Vol. 339, No. 26, P. 1897
Bozzette, Samuel A.; Berry, Sandra H.; Duan, Naihua; et al.

According to research conducted by the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study Consortium, an estimated 231,400 HIV- infected people received care in the first two months of 1996. The researchers analyzed data from a large number of adult patients who received care at a private, federal, or other government treatment facility other than a military or prison hospital or emergency department in 28 metropolitan areas and 24 clusters of rural counties. Of the almost half-million adults, 59 percent had AIDS according to definition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eleven percent were aged 50 or older, 23 percent were female, one-third were African-American, and 49 percent were men who had sex with men. A total of 68 percent had public health insurance or no insurance, 30 percent received care at a teaching institution, and 46 percent had annual incomes of less than $10,000. Eleven percent of the patients were from the Midwest, 25 percent were from the Northeast, 28 percent were from the West, and 36 percent of patients were from the South. Women were less likely than men to have AIDS-defining illnesses, but were more likely to be young and of color. According to the researchers, the majority of the patients would qualify for antiretroviral therapy. They note that the total cost of medical care for HIV-positive individuals accounted for less than 1 percent of all direct personal health expenditures in the United States.

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