This is a quick look at how drug prices for HIV medications can be detrimental and our health care system can fall short. This does not only hurt the 40 million in the US without insurance but also those who are under insured. AIDS medication depending on the regimen's medications can run you thousands of dollars a month.
A common starting regimen consists of Kaletra (Lopinavir) boosted by Ritonavir/Lamivudine/Zidovudine. The price of a month's supply for each can be as high as 198.99$, 289.99$, 385.88$, 170.00$. This totals over 1,000$ a month in just HIV medications. Other starting regimens including brand Atripla can be more then 1500$ for a one month supply.
If you don't have health insurance the cost of your care can exceed your reach with the combination of health related bills. You can simply be under insured for medication costing you copays in excess of 500 dollars a month. These factors can make it very hard for uninsured to pay for their medical bills and not go into debt. In the end this can hurt the overall health care you recieve, and potentially forces patients to go without care.
If you recently were diagnosed with HIV all the new medications and treatment options can overwhelm you. Its important to start seeing a HIV specialist as soon as possible.
They will take labs to help decide on when treatment should begin. The NIH did a study and determined the level at which you should begin treatment. Mortality rates increase if HAART is initiated below 0.200 x 10(9) cells/L. Also, non adherent patients have higher mortality rates than adherent patients with similar CD4+ cell counts. Above a CD4 count of 0.200 x 10(9) cells/L, medication adherence is the critical determinant of survival, not the CD4+ cell count at which HAART is begun.
A common starting regimen consists of Kaletra (Lopinavir) boosted by Ritonavir/Lamivudine/Zidovudine. The price of a month's supply for each can be as high as 198.99$, 289.99$, 385.88$, 170.00$. This totals over 1,000$ a month in just HIV medications. Other starting regimens including brand Atripla can be more then 1500$ for a one month supply.
If you don't have health insurance the cost of your care can exceed your reach with the combination of health related bills. You can simply be under insured for medication costing you copays in excess of 500 dollars a month. These factors can make it very hard for uninsured to pay for their medical bills and not go into debt. In the end this can hurt the overall health care you recieve, and potentially forces patients to go without care.
If you recently were diagnosed with HIV all the new medications and treatment options can overwhelm you. Its important to start seeing a HIV specialist as soon as possible.
They will take labs to help decide on when treatment should begin. The NIH did a study and determined the level at which you should begin treatment. Mortality rates increase if HAART is initiated below 0.200 x 10(9) cells/L. Also, non adherent patients have higher mortality rates than adherent patients with similar CD4+ cell counts. Above a CD4 count of 0.200 x 10(9) cells/L, medication adherence is the critical determinant of survival, not the CD4+ cell count at which HAART is begun.
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