Study projects lifetime HIV medical cost

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers estimate the monthly medical cost for people with HIV, from beginning appropriate care until death, is about $2,100.

The study by Dr. Bruce Schackman of the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and colleagues projects the cost of treatment for HIV-infected adults using current standards of care.

"Policy makers need accurate and up-to-date predictions of the future expense of HIV treatment if they seek to ensure broad access to high-quality care," said Schackman, chief of the division of health policy at the college. "If they rely on outdated cost information, treatment programs will be under-funded and the economic value of HIV prevention will be understated."

Schackman and Dr. Kenneth Freedberg at Massachusetts General Hospital collaborated with Drs. Kelly Gebo and Richard Moore at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

They said the projected life expectancy of people with HIV, if they remain in optimal HIV care, is 24.2 years, with a lifetime HIV care cost of $618,900.

The research appears in the November 2006 issue of the journal Medical Care.