Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle; Thursday, September 17, 1998
AIDS activists, however, have worried that giving the government such records could lead to serious breaches of privacy and possible discrimination by employers or insurance companies. The activists contend that some people might not get tested if they knew such disclosure was mandatory.
Both sides were so dug into their positions that nothing got done. As a result, California has been tracking people with the full-blown AIDS disease -- by name -- but not the much larger population of people infected with the virus.
Of course, it would make no sense to collect the records if the identities of the patients were totally anonymous. And no public health official would want to set up a system that discouraged people from getting tested for a deadly virus.
Out of this long deadlock came a compromise shepherded by Assemblywoman Carole Migden, D-S.F., that would allow the state to keep track of HIV by attaching an alphanumeric code to each case. That would allow the government to achieve its main objective -- monitoring the characteristics of the epidemic -- without jeopardizing the privacy of individuals.
Also as part of the compromise, the bill would expire in 2004 unless it were reauthorized, thus giving legislators a chance to review its effectiveness. A similar alphanumeric reporting system has been working successfully in Maryland since 1993. Several other states, including Washington, Massachusetts and Hawaii, are about to develop coded systems. The Migden bill, AB 1663, has gained the support of patient advocates, many health officials and the California Medical Association. It was approved by the Assembly, 52-7, and by the Senate, 22-15.
The epidemic's changing patterns -- spreading to women and minorities at an increasing rate -- underscore the urgent need for tracking. As Migden put it, a better understanding of where and how it is spreading will "allow us to apply resources in the proper direction."
Governor Wilson should sign AB 1663.
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