This is good. Won't have to pay for it or tell the SO why I am really getting tested on a regular basis. It would be nice of insurance companies actually pay for this and other tests.

I have to agree that is a great idea!

I agree 100% with this, coming from working in NV where you are tested every week, not only for the clients protection and your own... I have carried this over to here....It is only the smart thing to do...You NEVER know!  Always better to be safe then sorry!

There is a counter effect posssible here too... standard HIV tests only show the presence of HIV antibodies 3 months, MINIMUM, post HIV viral exposure... so there is the possibility that many infected carriers could believe that they are fine to do their thing when they're acting as disease vectors.

The "premium grade" HIV test is the PCR assay, that's the one adult video actors are REQUIRED to have on a monthly basis as long as they're working in the business... the true cost, the one that the adult vid industry people pay, is about $100 per test. The retail price for this exact same test for John Q. Vector is around $500, and that's a national disgrace.

The PCR test is much more accurate, and it will indicate a viral load within 30 days of exposure, closing the "window of ignorance" by 70%, which is a MAJOR difference in information quality.

If we as a nation are in any way, shape, or form serious about containing the HIV plague, we MUST make the PCR test universally available, and with the protection of anonymity, at cost.

With economies of scale this could be easily done, it only requires political courage to make it happen.

The up-sides are pretty obvious: everyone would know if they're HIV+ or not.

But there's a downside: What happens after you test positive?  Insurance companies don't like HIV+ people, since they require lifetime treatment with expensive drugs.  Employers don't want to see their insurance costs skyrocket.  And it's pretty unlikely that your 'average Joe' can afford to pay for the drugs himself.

So, I'm all for this plan, but only if we also head towards single-payer healthcare, where all these 'new' HIV+ people would be covered and the burden would be spread as widely as possible to keep the costs down.

(And yes, my post should probably head on over to the politics board)

Do you think it's free if insurance pays for it?

Insurance companies don't pay for anything -- in fact they add ~20% to the actual cost. If we all get annual HIV tests at $100 / test our insurance rates will go up $120/year.

In the past century the government quarantined people with communicable diseases like AIDS. What should the government do with the information it gains through this program -- quarantine those that test positive? Is that too big a price for a few infected individuals to pay for to eliminate AIDS? Tough questions, but as a DC resident, if you want something screwed up, get the government involved.

There is nothing stopping you from getting an HIV test if you want to. Don't ask me to pay for it.

-- Modified on 5/10/2006 9:06:58 PM

-- Modified on 5/10/2006 9:12:49 PM