Davis Must Sign Bill Guaranteeing ‘Reasonable Care’ for People with HIV, Chronicle Says

Gov. Gray Davis (D) has until Oct. 14 to sign AB 937, a bill that "aims to guarantee reasonable care for HIV patients by providing reasonable pay for doctors who treat them," a San Francisco Chronicle editorial states. The bill has "languished" on Davis' desk since Sept. 13, after being passed by both chambers of the Legislature by "wide margins," the editorial continues. The bill would require HMOs to reimburse HIV specialists "at a rate that doesn't restrict patients' access to care," the editorial states, adding that most HMOs currently employ a capitation scheme that pays doctors about $80 a month per HIV patient, an amount that is meant to cover specialist fees, emergency room and hospital care and sometimes prescription drugs. The bill would also require Medi-Cal to create "risk-adjusted rates for HIV treatment similar to the one it has for AIDS care," the editorial continues. According to Assembly member Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), who sponsored the bill, "[T]he lack of timely access, referrals and low reimbursement rates ... nearly have bankrupted the limited number of California physicians who continue to treat HIV/AIDS patients." The insurance lobby has "[p]redictably" opposed the measure, "vehemently rejecting any option requiring the industry to increase payments," the editorial states. "But AB 937 is a no-nonsense, life-and-death measure of both our humanity and commitment to fight this dreaded disease," and as such should be signed, the editorial concludes (San Francisco Chronicle, 10/3).