Low-Income AIDS Victims Get U.S. Help
WASHINGTON — A special $30-million emergency fund has been established to help low-income AIDS patients purchase the expensive drug AZT, health officials said Friday.
AZT, the only anti-viral drug approved to treat patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS-related complex, costs about $10,000 a year for each patient.
The $30-million fund, created with money provided by the fiscal 1987 supplemental appropriations act signed July 11, has been established in the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the Public Health Service.
Medically eligible low-income patients not covered by Medicaid, a federal health program for the poor, or private insurance, or whose state Medicaid program (in California, Medi-Cal) does not cover the drug costs, will be eligible for assistance.
States will determine individual eligibility and will receive funds in proportion to their share of all U.S. AIDS cases. States may require a co-payment by individuals, officials said.
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