Tweet
PRESS RELEASE
Office of Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
Adrin Nazarian Chief of Staff
620 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 403
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 240-6330
(818) 240-4632 fax
[email protected]
August 22, 2008
KREKORIAN BILL WILL ADVANCE THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
Bill would require health plans to cover HIV tests
SACRAMENTO - In an essential next step in the fight against AIDS, the
state Legislature passed legislation by Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
(D-Burbank) on Tuesday that will require health insurers to cover
routine HIV screening. Assembly Bill 1894 passed out of the Assembly
after concurrence in Senate amendments on a bipartisan vote of 47-29,
leaving the bill needing only the Governor's signature to become law.
According to the California Office of AIDS, approximately 40,000 persons
in California who are infected with HIV are unaware of having the
disease. The lack of routine HIV testing results in a lack of treatment
to tens of thousands of people who need it, and puts many more people at
risk of infection.
Just two weeks ago, at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City,
the Centers for Disease Control reported that only 40 percent of the
population had ever received an HIV test, and that at least a quarter of
a million people in the U.S. are living with the virus unaware of their
positive status.
At a time when it is estimated that over 56,000 Americans will be
infected this year and nearly 1.1 million people are already living with
the virus, AB 1894 keeps California in the forefront in the global fight
against the AIDS epidemic.
On garnering the support of a majority of his colleagues and passing the
bill out of the Legislature, Assemblymember Krekorian proudly
proclaimed, "this important bill will create an environment in which
testing will be routine and more Californians will know their status,
get linked to care and have a better quality of life. Encouraging
testing will decrease the risks of transmission, and therefore save
lives."
AB 1894 is sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and is supported
by the Center for AIDS Research, Education, and Services (CARES), the
California Nurses Association, and the California Medical Association.
Assemblymember Paul Krekorian represents the cities of Burbank and
Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los Feliz,
North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village
and Van Nuys.
# # #
Office of Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
Adrin Nazarian Chief of Staff
620 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 403
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 240-6330
(818) 240-4632 fax
[email protected]
August 22, 2008
KREKORIAN BILL WILL ADVANCE THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
Bill would require health plans to cover HIV tests
SACRAMENTO - In an essential next step in the fight against AIDS, the
state Legislature passed legislation by Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
(D-Burbank) on Tuesday that will require health insurers to cover
routine HIV screening. Assembly Bill 1894 passed out of the Assembly
after concurrence in Senate amendments on a bipartisan vote of 47-29,
leaving the bill needing only the Governor's signature to become law.
According to the California Office of AIDS, approximately 40,000 persons
in California who are infected with HIV are unaware of having the
disease. The lack of routine HIV testing results in a lack of treatment
to tens of thousands of people who need it, and puts many more people at
risk of infection.
Just two weeks ago, at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City,
the Centers for Disease Control reported that only 40 percent of the
population had ever received an HIV test, and that at least a quarter of
a million people in the U.S. are living with the virus unaware of their
positive status.
At a time when it is estimated that over 56,000 Americans will be
infected this year and nearly 1.1 million people are already living with
the virus, AB 1894 keeps California in the forefront in the global fight
against the AIDS epidemic.
On garnering the support of a majority of his colleagues and passing the
bill out of the Legislature, Assemblymember Krekorian proudly
proclaimed, "this important bill will create an environment in which
testing will be routine and more Californians will know their status,
get linked to care and have a better quality of life. Encouraging
testing will decrease the risks of transmission, and therefore save
lives."
AB 1894 is sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and is supported
by the Center for AIDS Research, Education, and Services (CARES), the
California Nurses Association, and the California Medical Association.
Assemblymember Paul Krekorian represents the cities of Burbank and
Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los Feliz,
North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village
and Van Nuys.
# # #