HIV+ patients can now receive life insurance in the United States, which is not a fate a lot of patients share elsewhere in the world. December 1st marked the World AIDS Day, and in celebration, Prudential Insurance has become the first American insurer to accept HIV positive people to buy into their traditional life insurance policies.
Prudential Insurance Changes the Perception of AIDS
People living with the HIV virus have been show to live as long as the general populace, which is what prompted the move by Prudential Insurance. Countless medical studies have proven this, and now the company is looking to widen the perspectives of the public in regards to the HIV virus.
Costs for the Life Insurance Policies Haven’t Been Clarified
The statement made by the company didn’t specify how much it will cost, as it is possible that they will have to pay higher fees. This is the case with insured people with chronic illnesses such as cancer. What the statement did reveal, however, is that anyone who lives with the virus but is healthy in every other respect can apply for a 10 or even 15 year plan.
This Will Change the Lives of 1.2 Million Americans Living with HIV
This new development is great news for Americans, but there are many other countries suffering at the hands of the segregation that comes with the HIV/AIDS condition. Russia, notoriously homophobic and intolerant of STDs and STIs, is still struggling with helping the general public understand that people with HIV/AIDS and homosexuals are just that, people. Russian TV host Pavel Lobkov is making some changes in that respect, becoming the first TV personality to announce that he is an HIV+ patient on live broadcast, and he plans to educate the Russian people on the reality of HIV and those living with it.
Polls have been made in the past where people would ask if people who were gay should be ‘liquidated’, ‘segregated’ or ‘helped’, and nearly always, the lowest fractions came from those who wanted homosexuals to be helped. The same is the case with AIDS patients, but things are starting to change. With the right tools, perhaps Russian could head in a better direction as well.
