Proposed legislation calls for routine HIV screening

[The Straight Story]

Proposed legislation calls for routine HIV screening

Texans having blood drawn as part of any routine medical testing would be screened for the infection that causes AIDS under proposed new state legislation.

The bill, filed Wednesday by Texas Sen. Rodney Ellis, would require that health care providers inform patients that an HIV test will be performed on their blood unless they opt out. The bill is based on a 2006 recommendation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that such testing become more routine for people 13 to 64.

"I'm trying to take the stigma out of HIV-AIDS testing," said Ellis, D-Houston, who timed the filing to coincide with World AIDS Day. "If we can make HIV testing as commonplace as getting a physical or a flu shot, I think we can reduce the toll of this disease in Texas."

Ellis told attendees at a city of Houston AIDS gathering Tuesday that "you could have heard a pin drop" recently when he asked during an annual physical exam whether the blood that had been drawn would be screened for HIV.

Nationally, more than 20 percent of people living with HIV are unaware of it. Officials at Tuesday's gathering reported that one in three Texans received a late diagnosis and that someone in Houston is diagnosed with HIV every seven hours.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7320395.html

[pinto]

1. Routine screening for blood borne infections should be ...routine, imo.

Standard stuff, imo.

[Lady President]

2. The timing is not right

In theory, routine testing is a great idea. I agree with Ellis that it would eliminate some of the stigma of testing, and slow the spread of HIV.

In reality, I would oppose this measure. I think the end result would be people losing medical coverage. I can even imagine insurance co. deciding that HIV was a pre-existing condition and refusing care. I donate blood regularly and don't have any risk factors, but I would opt out because I'm opposed to the government knowing so much about me.

[neitherherenortheirs]

3. yep...

you're right. with our current medical system it would just set up a means for the insurance companies to let more people die or make an even bigger fortune on pharmaceuticals.

if we had true universal healthcare and followed this plan it would work like a charm.

this is a really great idea i would've never thought of. i think he could've advertised the idea a little better though. people get scared by that whole idea of "mandatory". you'd have to sell it as "we want to keep you as safe as possible and will uphold our medical professionals to throughly examine your test results for illnesses you may need treatment for unless you should decide to opt out, which you will have the right to do before you undergo any procedure"