Expanded public insurance could cut AIDS-related deaths by 66%

A study in the Journal of Health Economics shows that expanding public insurance coverage of HIV-positive people could cut AIDS-related deaths in the United States by as much as 66%. Researchers from Stanford University's Center for health Policy and its Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, along with officials from the Rand Corp., used data from the national HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study to show that the mortality rate for publicly insured HIV-positive people is 66% lower than that for uninsured HIV-positive adults. The lowest AIDS-related death rates for HIV-positive people receiving public insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid, were reported in states with the least restrictive eligibility requirements. Private insurance was shown to be the best option for HIV-positive people--the death rate for HIV-positive adults with private insurance was 20% lower than that of those with public insurance.