The Cost of HIV Care in the U.S.

According to a simulation model, adults who initiate potent combination antiretroviral therapy when their CD4 counts are <350 cells/mm³ can expect to live another 24.2 years, at a projected discounted lifetime cost of $385,200.

At various stages throughout the HIV epidemic, researchers have estimated the life expectancy and cost of care for infected individuals in the U.S. For example, in 1993, an HIV-infected adult with a CD4 count of 500 cells/mm³ was expected to live 6.8 years, and the lifetime cost of care was $119,000 (or $150,000 in 2004 dollars) (JAMA 1993; 270:474). With the advent of potent combination antiretroviral therapy in the mid-1990s, both life expectancy and cost of care increased. Now, researchers have provided new estimates based on current standards of care, using a well-accepted state-transition model of HIV disease. Information on utilization of medical services was based on data from patients who received primary care at one of seven HIV Re…

Reviewing Author

Carlos del Rio, MD

The Cost of HIV Care in the U.S.

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Reviewing Author