The Economic Impact of AIDS in the United States

Abstract

This analysis of several previous studies of the cost of AIDS suggests that the lifetime cost of medical care per patient will not exceed +80,000, an amount similar to the cost of treating other serious illnesses. If current projections of future AIDS cases are accurate, the cumulative lifetime costs of 270,000 cases diagnosed between 1981 and the end of 1991 will not exceed +22 billion. This amount is small compared with total U.S. medical spending. The economic impact of AIDS on San Francisco, New York, and some other cities, however, is likely to be more serious. The AIDS epidemic will also highlight the financial problems of Americans who face large medical bills without adequate insurance.