Many People with HIV/AIDS Not Getting Proper Treatment

Many People with HIV/AIDS Not Getting Proper Treatment

AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #354, November 3, 2000
John S. James

A report from the AIDS Research Institute of the University of California San Francisco found that in the four large states which were studied (Texas, Florida, California, and New York), many patients are unable to obtain proper HIV medications through both Medicaid and ADAP (the AIDS Drug Assistance Program). In Texas, the worst of the four, about half to two thirds of patients who rely on these public programs are not getting proper treatment. The report was scheduled for publication in March 2001, but was leaked to the media in early November. An Associated Press story is available at:

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001103/hl/aids_treatment_1.html

Comment

This report puts numbers on a dirty little secret which has been widely known but not much discussed--that even within the U.S., whether you get lifesaving treatments for AIDS depends greatly on where you live. Private insurance (not studied in the research discussed here) also has great geographic variations. Very few people can pay for antiretrovirals entirely out of pocket, especially when they earn less because of their illness.

Living in rural areas, and/or the South, have long appeared to be significant risk factors for inadequate access to expensive AIDS medication. But much of the variation seems random.

001103
ATN35405

Copyright © 2000 - AIDS Treatment News. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used. Subscription lists are kept confidential. AIDS Treatment News, Subscription and Editorial Office: 1233 Locust St., 5th floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 800/TREAT-1-2 toll-free email: aidsnews@critpath.org http://www.aidsnews.org

Subscription Information: Call 800/TREAT-1-2: Businesses, Institutions, Professionals: $270/year. Includes early delivery of an extra copy by email. Nonprofit organizations: $135/year. Includes early delivery of an extra copy by email. Individuals: $120/year, or $70 for six months. Special discount for persons with financial difficulties: $54/year, or $30 for six months. If you cannot afford a subscription, please write or call. Outside North, Central, or South America, add air mail postage: $20/year, $10 for six months. Back issues available. Fax subscriptions, bulk rates, and multiple subscriptions are available; contact our office for details. Please send U.S. funds: personal check or bank draft, international postal money order, or travelers checks. VISA, Mastercard, and purchase orders also accepted. ISSN # 1052-4207

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. 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, 2000. 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. .