Divya Ramamurthi - The Hindu

• A pilot project will be implemented for two years 

Freedom Foundation is working on the policy model with the Government and other organisations
The premia will be offered on a sliding scale

Bangalore. Apr 5: Insurance for persons with HIV, AIDS and those at high risk will be launched by May end, according to Ashok Rau, Director of Freedom Foundation, a voluntary organisation.

Freedom Foundation, Bangalore, in association with the United Nations Development Project, the Union Government and the National Insurance Company, is working on the insurance policy.

A pilot of the project will be implemented for two years from May. At the end of it, based on the commercial viability of the project, the implementation will be taken over by the National Insurance Company, says Mr. Rau. The project cost is estimated at Rs. 40 lakhs.

The project, which will be implemented in Bangalore city and district and to a smaller extent in Chennai, will cover persons with HIV, AIDS, persons at high risk of developing HIV, AIDS and the general public. Diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis will also be covered under this insurance scheme.

Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have high prevalence of HIV, AIDS cases. The 2004 sentinel survey estimated that 50,000 persons have HIV, AIDS in Karnataka.

The HIV prevalence levels ranged from 1.5 per cent among women at antenatal clinics to 21.6 per cent for female sex workers. The percentage of pregnant women who tested positive at antenatal clinics in Bangalore rural area was 2.5 per cent and 0.6 per cent in Bangalore urban areas. The HIV prevalence rate in Tamil Nadu is 0.68 per cent.

Commercially viable

The project team is coming up with a commercially viable insurance policy. The premia for the insurance policy will be offered on a sliding scale so that it is made affordable to more people. So far, most insurance companies have stayed out of insuring persons with HIV, AIDS because they believe that the claims will be high.

By covering the general population as well as high-risk groups, the Freedom Foundation is hoping to come up with a mixed population for which the claims will not be too high. "As a little over one per cent of the general population is affected by HIV, AIDS, in almost 96 per cent of the cases, the insurance companies will not be handling any claims," says Mr. Rau.

Recruitment

Some of the persons that the insurance will cover during the pilot phase include people on Freedom Foundation's graduate cost recovery anti-retroviral treatment (ART) project. Under this project, the cost of anti-retroviral treatment is designed on a sliding scale based on the person's income. Affected persons, enrolled in positive persons networks, will also be recruited for the project as well, said Mr. Rau.

Assurance

Mr. Rau says those who opt for the scheme need not worry about treatment costs even if the project fails. These persons will be added to the list of persons eligible for free anti-retroviral treatment being provided by the Government. The Union Government has promised anti-retroviral treatment to 1,30,000 affected persons over the next five years.

HIV positive persons are thrilled by the prospects of an insurance that will cover them. Most of them now get some kind of insurance cover without disclosing the status of their health. "An insurance that covers persons affected with HIV, AIDS will be a boon to all affected persons. It will be a first that will be celebrated," says a HIV positive person.