California Law to Compel Insurers to Cover Routine HIV Tests Is First in Nation

AB 1894 (Krekorian, D--Burbank), Will Advance Fight Against
HIV/AIDS in California

Following CDC's Recent Announcement of Alarming 40% Annual
Increase in HIV Incidence in the US, Legislation Will Help Communities
Meet CDC's Previous 2006 Guidelines Recommending Routine HIV Testing
in Clinical and Health Care Settings for All People Ages 13 to 65

AB 1894 Press Teleconference--Tuesday September 2nd 1:00pm
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
In an essential next step in the fight against HIV and AIDS, the
California Legislature passed legislation by Assembly Member Paul
Krekorian (D-Burbank) that will require health insurers operating in
California to cover routine HIV screening. Assembly Bill 1894--the
first bill of its kind in the nation--passed out of the Assembly after
concurrence in Senate amendments (on a bipartisan vote of 47-29) last
week, and awaits the Governor's signature to become law.

Assembly Member Krekorian and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF),
the bill's sponsor, will join others in a press teleconference on
Tuesday September 2nd at 1:00pm (Pacific) to discuss this
groundbreaking bill and urge Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to swiftly
sign AB 1894.

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WHAT: Press Teleconference Call--AB 1894, California's
First-in-the-Nation Bill to Compel Insurers to Cover Routine
HIV Tests

WHEN: Tuesday, September 2, 2008
1:00 PM (Pacific Time)

WHO: Hon. Paul Krekorian, California Assembly Member (D--Burbank)
Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President
California Medical Association, speaker TBA

HOW: dial in information
+1.877.411.9748
access code # 7931503
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According to the California Office of AIDS, approximately 40,000
persons in California who are infected with HIV are unaware they have
the disease. The lack of routine HIV testing results in a lack of
treatment to tens of thousands of people who need it, and puts many
more people at risk of infection.

After garnering the support of a majority of his colleagues to
pass the bill out of the Legislature, Assembly Member Krekorian
proudly proclaimed, "This important bill creates an environment in
which testing will become routine and more Californians will know
their HIV status, get linked to care as needed, and have an overall
better quality of life. Studies have shown that when individuals know
their HIV status, those found to be positive take steps to decrease
the risk of passing their HIV infections on to others. AB 1894 is a
straightforward solution to a growing public health dilemma. It helps
pave the way to encourage widespread and routine HIV testing
throughout California--something the CDC first recommended nationwide
nearly two years ago. It is prudent legislation that will save lives."

"AB 1894 provides an ideal opportunity to break the chain of new
infections by compelling insurers operating in California to cover the
cost of routine HIV testing in medical and health settings like ERs
and community clinics," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS
Healthcare Foundation, which operates the largest community-based HIV
testing program in California providing more that 14,000 free tests
annually. "As with any disease, the most effective public health
strategy to combat HIV/AIDS is to identify those who are infected,
provide treatment, and minimize the spread of new infections. AB 1894
will help us identify more people who are already living with HIV, but
who may not know their status because they've never been tested. HIV
is a treatable--but not curable--infection. With the lifetime cost of
care for just one individual living with HIV/AIDS now estimated at
more than $600,000, we need to do everything possible to normalize the
process for HIV testing in order to identify all those who are
infected, link them to treatment and reduce the spread of new
infections."

In an alarming announcement just three weeks ago, the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) revised its annual estimates of HIV incidence in
the U.S. up to 56,000 new HIV cases per year--up from roughly 40,000
cases each year. (The CDC explained this 40 percent increase as a
result of better data collection and tracking; however, the original
case number has remained static at 40,000 cases annually for the past
10 years--a statistic that already underscored the need for stepped up
HIV testing). At the same time, the CDC also reported that only 40
percent of the U.S. population had ever received an HIV test, and that
at least a quarter of the estimated one million people in the U.S.
living with the virus are unaware of their HIV-positive status.

The CDC had previously issued revised recommendations for its HIV
testing guidelines in September 2006. In a departure from its previous
guidelines, the CDC recommended that 'opt-out' HIV screening become a
part of routine clinical care in all health care settings for every
person ages 13 to 65. Unfortunately, this recommendation has not yet
been widely implemented on a national scale. One factor may be the
issue of who pays for these tests--which can cost as little as $20 per
test. By requiring insurers to cover the cost of routine HIV testing,
AB 1894 will help move California closer toward implementing the CDC's
Revised 2006 HIV Testing Guidelines.

At a time when it is estimated that over 56,000 Americans will be
infected this year and nearly 1.1 million people are already living
with the virus, AB 1894 keeps California on the forefront of the
global fight against the AIDS epidemic.

AB 1894 is sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and is
supported by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Center for AIDS
Research, Education, and Services (CARES), the California Nurses
Association, and the California Medical Association.

Assembly Member Paul Krekorian

Assembly Member Paul Krekorian represents the cities of Burbank
and Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los
Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley
Village and Van Nuys. He is a board member of the AIDS Community
Action Foundation.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (Sponsor of AB 1894)

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation's largest
non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider. AHF currently provides
medical care and/or services to more than 80,000 individuals in 20
countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and
Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org.

Office of Assembly Member Paul Krekorian
Adrin Nazarian, Chief of Staff, 818-240-6330
adrin.nazarian@asm.ca.gov
or
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Ged Kenslea, Communications Director, 323-860-5225
Mobile: 323-791-5526
gedk@aidshealth.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008