As more people with HIV reach retirement age, the annual cost of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for Medicare for people 65 or older is projected to nearly triple over the next decade, from $6.4 billion in 2026 to $17.8 billion by 2035.
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for older Americans and people with disabilities. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, projects that 63% of the cumulative cost to Medicare for older beneficiaries living with HIV will be to pay for ART, which is the lifelong treatment that suppresses the virus to non-detectable levels. Without these antiviral medications, HIV goes from a chronic to a fatal condition.
The study based its cost projections on current ART prescribing patterns, healthcare-associated inflation, and data showing that more people with HIV are living into their 70s and 80s because of ART.
Source : CIDRAP
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