If signed into law, a bill passed by both state houses will make HIV tests a routine part of medical exams. Authored by Assemblymember Patty Berg (D-Eureka), AB 682 received bipartisan support on its way to the governor’s desk.
A release from Berg’s office stated that the bill will open a new chapter in the fight against AIDS.
“More people will be tested,” Berg said. “That means more people will seek treatment earlier, and fewer people will be spreading the virus.”
The bill would eliminate the need for doctors to require patients to complete a special form before receiving an HIV test as part of a standard physical. Patients will still reserve the right to decline the blood test.
Berg’s release stated that studies show that as recently as 2004, 39 percent of HIV patients were unaware of their status until they were less than a year away from diagnosis with full-blown AIDS. The release also stated that the state Office of AIDS estimates that about 40,000 Californians don’t know they are infected.
“AB 682 strikes an important balance between protecting the rights of individual patients while removing outdated barriers to routine screening,” said bill co-sponsor Anmol Mahal, M.D., president of the California Medical Association. |