Overview
HIV infection originated in west-central Africa and the disease was first recognized by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the early 1980s. As per statistics nearly 40 million people across the globe are currently affected by the disease and approximately 25 million have already succumbed to it.
In the United States alone nearly 1 million people are in its grip whereas sub-Saharan and south Africa are the worst affected areas. As per an estimation from UNAIDS nearly 300,000 children became victim to the disease in the year 2007.
The worst part is that there is no known cure for the disease, although treatment can slow the disease progress rate but then the drugs are expensive and are not available in all countries. The only key to prevent pandemic is to stop the spread of infection.
Here are some more startling facts about the disease:
- Almost 85% of the transmission is due to heterosexual intercourse.
- Nearly one-third of new cases in the United States are related to heterosexual transmission. Almost half of them are due to male-to-male sexual contact. The remaining cases are due to intravenous transmission of the drugs
- Worldwide, 42% of the entire HIV infected people are women and in United States the ratio is nearly 25% and the bad news is the trend is rising in the U.S. and across the globe.
What is HIV and AIDS and are they same?
Understanding the HIV virus increases the chances of living a longer and healthier life. Today, thanks to insurance for AIDS and development of medications for HIV, people have the required tools to fight this malignant disease.
Proper knowledge leads to proper decision and to know everything about HIV is no less important to lead a healthy life. Here we answer some common questions that linger in the minds of every HIV infected patient.
HIV or Human immunodeficiency syndrome is a virus transmitted from one person to another through exchange of body fluids such as semen, blood, vaginal secretion and breast milk.
AIDS or acquired immune deficiency syndrome is an advanced state of HIV infection. With AIDS the virus has advanced significantly causing considerable damage to white blood cells. Disease and infections caused due to it are termed as AIDS defining diseases.
Are AIDS and HIV similar?
HIV virus attacks the immune system. A body with a compromised immune system can easily catch any infection or illness. Acquiring a disease in such a condition means the person is affected with AIDS.
A person may be infected with HIV for years without having AIDS. Having HIV infection does not really mean that the person has AIDS. This explains that AIDS and HIV are not the same.
Signs and Symptoms of HIV/AIDS
Many people are unaware of the fact that they may be infected by HIV. In the United States, nearly 20% of HIV-positive people fall into this category. Some people may show flu-like illness within weeks of exposure to the virus. This is the reason why most people do not apply for insurance for AIDS at an early stage.
Early symptoms may include headache, fever, tiredness and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. These symptoms disappear usually within a few weeks. The person is back to normal again and shows no visible signs for years; this period is termed as asymptomatic phase.
Every individual shows different signs of disease progression. This phase is there for a few months or for several years. In this period, the virus multiplies rapidly and engulfs cells of the immune system. The primary targets of this virus are the cells that fight infections, called CD4 cells, a type of white blood cell.
Even though the person shows no visible symptoms, he or she can still transmit the virus to other persons through any of the routes used by HIV virus.
The later stage of HIV infection when the body loses its ability to fight infection is termed as AIDS. The infected person shows unusual infection or cancers due to a weak immune system. This infection is called opportunistic infection as it takes advantage of the weakened host.
Some of the infection may be as follows (the list is not exhaustive):
- Infection of brain along with toxoplasmosis which can cause cognitive issues or symptoms that looks like a stroke.
- Wheezing due to pneumonia caused by Pneumocytosis.
- Fever and weight loss due to widespread of MAC (mycobacterium avium complex).
- Pain with swallowing caused due to yeast infection of the esophagus.
- Wide spread of histoplasmosis causing cough, fever, anemia and other problems.
Insurance for AIDS
Ever since HIV medication came onto the scene it became obvious that they are going to cost a lot of money. The prescription for the treatment includes two, three and even four drugs, each having a large price tag making them out of reach for most people, particularly in developing countries.
Fortunately insurance companies, state and federal government and drug companies have come up with insurance for AIDS. There are various patient assistance programs and independent plans from pharmaceutical companies to help reduce the treatment expenditure.
HIV or AIDS does not bar a person from enrolling in health insurance. Being denied health insurance due to AIDS is a painful experience. An unexpected accident or illness has nothing to do with HIV or AIDS but still there is an expenditure of thousands of dollars on surgery and hospitalization.
So, immune system disease is no longer an obstacle from obtaining high quality insurance for AIDS. Our agents are proud to enroll a person in a creditable insurance for AIDS with benefits almost similar to any other insurance offered to a healthy person.
HIV Co-pays Programs
People who have insurance from private companies are fortunate enough to bear the cost of prescription drugs. In most of the cases the insurance for AIDS pays for 80% of the retail cost which leaves 20% to be paid by the patient.
It does not sound much unless we consider the costs. In a 3 drug prescription each drug costs around $1,000 a month which sums up to $3,000 a month. So, even 20% of it is a considerable burden. However, co-pay assistance programs ease a lot of burden.
For example as part of the HIV drug assistance program the state of Michigan has a co-pay assistance program. There are many states that are running such assistance programs to ease the burden on the AIDS patient.
Conclusion
Few years back it was only possible to detect the disease when it is present in its most malignant form. Even if it is detected the damage was irreversible and unstoppable. Sadly people were unable to perform any form of work and soon succumbed to the disease.
Thanks to the major advancement made in the world of medicine, it is now possible to detect the disease at an early stage and drugs are powerful enough to enable a person lead a healthy and productive life.
The changes in the medical field have brought several changes in the insurance industry as well. Insurance for AIDS is now very much a reality. To get the best offer just fill in the form on this page and one of our agents will contact you with the best deals in the market.