AHF Applauds Schwarzenegger for Signing First-in-the-Nation HIV Testing Coverage...

AHF Applauds Schwarzenegger for Signing First-in-the-Nation HIV Testing Coverage Bill

AB 1894 (Krekorian, D--Burbank), Sponsored by AHF, Compels
Insurers Operating in California to Cover Costs of Routine HIV Tests

Legislation Will Help California Comply with CDC's Updated 2006
HIV Testing Guidelines Recommending Routine HIV Screening for All
Individuals Ages 13 to 65
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the operator of the largest
non-government HIV testing program in California, today applauded
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing Assembly Bill 1894 (Paul
Krekorian, D--Burbank), a first-in-the-nation piece of legislation
which will compel medical insurers operating in California to cover
the costs of routine HIV screening. The bill, sponsored by AHF, will
help California better comply with the Centers for Disease Control's
(CDC) Revised HIV Testing Guidelines (issued in September 2006) which
recommends routine screening for HIV for individuals ages 13 to 65.

"With the Governor's signature of AB 1894 today, California once
again has demonstrated its global leadership in developing innovative
policies to fight the HIV pandemic," said Assembly Member Paul
Krekorian. "This legislation will set the standard throughout the
nation by making HIV screening a routine part of ordinary preventive
health care."

"AB 1894 establishes a model that must be implemented across the
nation in order to achieve true routine HIV screening. Governor
Schwarzenegger is to be commended for having the foresight to sign
this crucial first-in-the-nation public health legislation. We also
thank Assembly Member Krekorian for his leadership in authoring and
shepherding this groundbreaking bill," said Michael Weinstein,
President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "Nearly 40,000 Californians
do not know they are HIV-positive and they are unwittingly causing
between 2500 and 5000 new infections in California each year. AB 1894
provides an ideal opportunity to break that chain of HIV infections by
compelling insurers operating in California to cover the cost of
routine testing in medical and health settings like ERs and community
clinics. In light of stark new CDC data--documenting a 40% increase in
HIV infections nationwide--AB 1894 should go a long way to help
California comply with the CDC's Revised HIV testing Guidelines and
help dramatically reduce new HIV infections throughout the state."

In his signing statement for AB 1894, Governor Schwarzenegger
noted, "The alarming new number of infections underscore the need to
take all possible steps to prevent the spread of this disease. By
preventing the spread of infection, the population is not only
healthier, but avoids the costly medical interventions required for
people living with HIV and AIDS."

According to the California Office of AIDS, approximately 40,000
people in California who are infected with HIV are unaware they have
the disease. The lack of routine HIV screening results in a lack of
treatment to tens of thousands of people who need it, and puts many
more people at risk of infection.

In an alarming announcement in early August, the Centers for
Disease Control 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 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 in California or on a national scale. One
factor is guaranteeing payment 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

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 22
countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and
Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org

AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Ged Kenslea, 323-860-5225
Mobile: 323-791-5526
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Office of Assembly Member Paul Krekorian
Adrin Nazarian, Chief of Staff
818-240-6330
adrin.nazarian@asm.ca.gov
or
AHF (Alternate Media Contact)
Lori Yeghiayan, 323-860-5227
Mobile: 323-377-4312
lori.yeghiayan@aidshealth.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008