Medicaid OKd to Cover Liver Patient With HIV
From Times Wire Reports
A state board ruled that an HIV-positive man with end-stage liver disease should be covered by Medicaid for a potentially life-saving liver transplant.
The Division of Medical Assistance Board of Appeals in Boston said the procedure was “medically necessary” and not experimental. Some scientists believe that HIV reduces the chance of survival for transplant patients.
The ruling would only directly affect Massachusetts Medicaid recipients in similar circumstances.
HIV drugs have kept the patient from developing AIDS, but he also has hepatitis C and is expected to die of liver failure within months.
