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Tabitha Herdt

Jessica Hutchman

English 111

February 16, 2011

I Have Hiv…Now What?

I have HIV, now what? It’s actually a question that more and more Americans

are asking these days. On October 28, Daniel Wilson, tested positive for HIV, he did

not know his cd-4 counts, but was already wondering about treatment options. How will

he afford his medicine was his next concern.

It was time for a good ole fashioned “Google” search! The first thing he ran

across was an article from CBS news. CBS states that an extra 24 years of life can be

gained for people with HIV by breakthroughs in modern medicine, but at a cost of

$618,900! This does not really affect him at this point because people are not usually

put on HIV medicines until their CD-4 count (white blood cells) gets to 350 cells per

milliliter of blood. Once he starts treatment, it is estimated that his medicine will set him

back $2,100 a month! He is a self- employed artist, and that’s more than he makes in 3

months, and his paychecks are not always dependable. It is dumbfounding to think of

the cost, and can anyone actually afford it?

John Hopkins researcher, Richard D. Moore, states access to HIV care may

become increasingly difficult, unless more government funds become available or the



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cost of HIV care is reduced, Fewer than one in three people with HIV have access to a

private insurance company, and Daniel just happens to be in that group without it.

Medicare and Medicaid cover almost half of the patients with HIV in the United States.

However most (including Daniel) are not eligible for assistance from the government

until their immune system has taken a beating, and progress to AIDS. Even then,

recipients are required to pay $3,051 every year out of their own pockets. Next is

ADAP, or AIDS Drug Assistance Program. These programs are federally funded

through the 1990 Ryan White Comprehensive Resources Emergency Act and are

administered by individual states; which may also contribute to the funding. People of

low income who are living with HIV may qualify for assistance through these programs.

States often control their costs by limiting the number or type of medications that they

will cover through ADAP, which may result in shorter life expectancy for people who are

depending on these programs to get HIV treatment. Its not the best outlook for Daniel.

To qualify for ADAP, Daniel has to make $10,400 or less each year. More great

news, He practically need to be living in a homeless shelter to receive the medicine that

he needs to live. Why is it so expensive in the United States when in Africa, medicine

like Crixivan cost just $600 per year? Its $500 per month here in the United States! Do

American citizens realize this? And no one is raising a concern?

Luckily for Daniel there are organizations like Western North Carolina Aids

Project that assist people like myself from diagnosis right up until the end. They have

caseworkers and counselors that are there to help guide you in the right direction. They

are also there to keep you informed and up to date on new developments in HIV

treatment, and to assist you in finding local organizations and charities that can help pay



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housing and food costs as well. There are also many clinical trials that vary from state

to state. Most of them are just to test the safety of a particular drug, and should never

be the sole source for treatment.

There are breakthroughs occurring all the time in HIV treatment. There is a study

in France that combines 2 chemotherapy drugs to force the rapid replication and

evolution of the virus to the point the virus kills itself. This comes from the discovery

that all modern day primates carry the pre-cursor virus to the HIV virus we have today.

And that the virus has mutated and evolved over thousands of years and is not harmful

to the hosts immune system. The study has successfully eliminated the virus in lab rats,

and hopes to begin testing in humans in the future!

This may seem like a long shot, but it’s really all Mr Wilson and thousands of

others have to be hopeful for. It’s a hard concept for Daniel to realize, and come to

terms with fact that he will probably be poor or close to poor for the rest of his life, and

will always be at risk of an opportunistic infection. If there is anything to learn from Mr

Wilson, it’s some compassion for people living with hiv and aids. And maybe to inspire

people to fight the drug companies that are holding our lives in their hands.

The bottom line is that there really is no definite cause that makes the medicines

so expensive, or why people in other countries have access to cheaper medicines than

people here in the United States. Especially since most of the pharmaceutical

companies are based in this country. Some of us do not expect to get free treatment,

but we also do not think the government is doing enough about making medications

affordable to people who are actually productive members of society. It seems the



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people who are out there working, and helping stimulate this horrible economy are the

ones who are suffering the most. So what are we to do? We have to be a responsible

positive person, meaning we stay informed, and knowledgeable of our options, and

minimize the risk of infecting another person. I am not the type of person to ignore

something in hopes it just goes away, or fixes itself. OK ill get off my high horse, Just

keep in mind that every one is at risk. Even though you may not be gay, your new

romantic interest may like boys and girls. They could have gotten infected and never

been tested, and are not telling you all of the truth. Scary, huh?

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