Steven D. Pinkerton, PhD, Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Medical Collge of Wisconsin, 2071 N Summit Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, 4144567700, Pinkrton@mcw.edu and Timothy G Heckman, PhD, Department of Psychology, Ohio University, 200 Porter Hall, Athens, OH 45701.

Background and Objectives: AIDS care imposes a substantial economic burden on the US health care system. The objective of this study was to estimate the annual cost of caring for PLWAs living in the US, from 1997 to 2002. Methods: AIDS incidence data for large metropolitan (population >= 500,000), small metropolitan (50,000 to 500,000) and non-metropolitan areas, and information on the number of PLWAs in the US, overall, were obtained from CDC surveillance reports. The number of PLWAs in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas was estimated by assuming that the survival rate for persons diagnosed in these areas equaled the overall proportion for the nation as a whole. AIDS-related medical care costs for each area were obtained by multiplying the number of PLWAs by the annual cost of medical care for a person with AIDS ($21,204 in 1996 dollars). Results: The total estimated cost of AIDS-related medical care in the US grew from $4.6 billion in 1997 to $7.3 billion in 2002. The fastest growth was observed in non-metropolitan areas, where AIDS treatment costs increased 74.5%, from $250 million to $450, compared to increases of 58.6% in large-metropolitan areas and 50.9% in small-metropolitan areas. Conclusion: The cost of AIDS-related medical care continues to grow as the number of persons living with AIDS increases. The proportion of these costs associated with non-metropolitan AIDS cases has risen substantially in the previous 5 to 10 years. Additional resources are needed both to prevent HIV infection in non-metropolitan areas and to ensure adequate care for persons living with the disease.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will

• better appreciate the substantial economic burden that AIDS imposes on the US health care system
• recognize the continuing shift of AIDS from large metropolitan areas to non-metropolitan areas of the US
• better understand the economic rationale for greater investment in HIV/AIDS prevention as a means of reducing the economic burden of caring from persons with HIV and/or AIDS

Keywords: Cost Issues, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.