Association of medical insurance and other factors with receipt of antiretroviral therapy.
OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess sociodemographic and medical insurer factors associated with receipt of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). METHODS: Patients included (n = 959) were enrolled in the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinic after April 1, 1996, received > or = 90 days of care, and had a CD4 count > or = 500 cells/mm3 or HIV-1 RNA > 20 000 copies/mL. We assessed the associations of sociodemographic factors and medical insurance with receipt of HAART, stratified by 2 time periods (April 1996 through March 1997 versus April 1997 through March 1999). RESULTS: HAART was more likely to be used in patients who were > 39 years, White, had CD4 counts < 350 cells/mm3, had fewer missed clinic visits, and did not have intravenous drug use as their risk factor for HIV transmission. In period 1 (April 1996 through March 1997), HAART was more likely to be used in patients who were commercially insured than in other payer groups; differences between payers narrowed in period 2 (April 1997 through March 1999), however, as did differences by race. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in use of HAART on the basis of payer have narrowed since 1996. This encouraging finding may demonstrate the importance of programs that lower economic barriers to medical care.[1]References
- Association of medical insurance and other factors with receipt of antiretroviral therapy. Keruly, J.C., Conviser, R., Moore, R.D. American journal of public health. (2002) [Pubmed]
Annotations and hyperlinks in this abstract are from individual authors of WikiGenes or automatically generated by the WikiGenes Data Mining Engine. The abstract is from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.About WikiGenesOpen Access LicencePrivacy PolicyTerms of Useapsburg
