LS&Co. Unzipped
Apr 18 2011
Getting It Covered: Improving Access to
HIV/AIDS Care
It may be hard to imagine, but many local insurance plans around the world still do not cover HIV/AIDS. Levi Strauss & Co. is one of only a handful of global employers working hard with local insurance plans globally to make such coverage the rule – not the exception.
And they're making progress.
Recently, the company negotiated with Mexico’s largest health insurance provider to drop a four-year waiting period for HIV/AIDS benefits. That waiting period was a local standard of coverage.
I work for an insurance provider for global organizations like Levi Strauss & Co. And we see such local market constraints all the time.
Why?
Well, it’s common practice for local insurers in all countries to refuse coverage for any disease that’s seen as an aggravated risk. This applies to all serious illnesses, not just HIV/AIDS-related conditions.
In fact, the cost of HIV/AIDS, may not be as risky as imagined. New medicines for HIV/AIDS are now more affordable in most countries, and patients who receive them do not need any other specialized treatments. Interestingly, other chronic treatments, like diabetes, can cost more to treat than HIV/AIDS. Yet, treatments for diabetes are often covered under policies that exclude HIV/AIDS coverage.
It’s not acceptable that insurance policies include a medical selection process that automatically excludes individual affected by HIV/AIDS. Some European countries, have passed laws to prohibit virtually all automatic group policy exclusions for HIV/AIDS.
Encouraging partnerships with the insurance industry is essential to improve access to care. There are ways for companies to negotiate with local insurers to begin changing these practices and encourage coverage. For example, companies can:
• Negotiate with local insurers to include policy language safeguards to avoid extraordinarily high cost
• Request outpatient coverage only
• Consider an annual lifetime coverage limit.
The work Levi Strauss & Co. is doing to change insurance practices is rare – but critical. They’re taking the lead by sharing lessons from their wins, as in Mexico, to change discriminatory practices and improve access to HIV/AIDS care around the world.
Changing industry practices to improve access can be a tough battle. But, it is critical if we aim to achieve universal access. We have a long way to go, but – as we saw in Mexico – perseverance and commitment pay off.
GMC Services is a third-party administrator, specializing in global health insurance, with extensive experience in managing HIV/AIDS-related reimbursement for global organizations.
Posted By: Gilles Ascensio-Parvy, GMC Services |
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Andre Ceranto (not verified) - May 06 2011
Wow, now I will buy even more item from Levi Strauss. They are not just a company who cares about profite, they also care about people and are setting the example for a better and more human way of doing business. I work for a AIDS Service Organization in Toronto, and Levi Strauss employees donate they time more than once a year helping us doing volunteer work. Kudos for you and keep up the good work. Hopefuly otehr companies will follow by your example.
Dr. Lorna Friedman (not verified) - Apr 26 2011
Congratulations to Levi Strauss & Co for once again forging new territory. Your leadership in securing coverage for people with HIV/AIDS will open the doors for other company's to follow suit . More importantly this effort sends a message of hope to the global workplace and discredits the notion that HIV/AIDS separate's us as people and colleagues. The burden of a chronic condition should not be made heavier by stigma and neglect. Mercer is proud to have been a part of this effort in Mexico and looks to continued partnership and innovation .
Amy (not verified) - Apr 19 2011
Kudos to Levi Strauss & Co for all the hard work in this important area!
Martina Clark (not verified) - Apr 19 2011
It is inspiring to see Levi Strauss & Co take this on and share such an important topic. We have enough trouble battling stigma and discrimination - which keep people from seeking testing and care for HIV. We certainly don't need fixable barriers to keeping people alive, such as exclusion from insurance! We're lucky in the United Nations because we write our own rules for insurance and insist that HIV be covered as any other health condition. And at UNICEF, our third-party administrator, Van Breda International, is equally committed to covering staff living with HIV - they've even introduced pilot projects to increase coverage! But not everyone is so fortunate - so bravo Levi's and GMC - I hope this brings on an insurance revolution! -Martina
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