Quote Originally Posted by basschick View Post
if people who get hiv in this way are not covered, many will end up dying in the streets - or turning tricks to avoid that fate, and that would be a disaster for all involved. let's face it - your average lazy person isn't going to get a potentially fatal disease in order to avoid working. bug chasers are already in desparate need of a psychiatrist, which means that they already should probably be receiving medicare and treatment.
The thing is that our society doesn't let people die in the streets. People expect to be caught when they fall down. That is a great thing, but not if it encourages someone to jump. If medicare covers $1000 a month of someone's HIV medication, that wipes out the taxes I pay. Poof, not available for schools or hospitals. Gone because someone decided to do something stupid, knowing that they wouldn't have to pay the consequences alone.
If we cut things off and 1000 new bug chasers died in the streets, but 3000 more opted for bible study instead, would it be worth it to have spared the 3000. It's a tough question, but I feel that it should be at least be asked.
Also, I don't know if the problem is of a scale that would justify the healthcare companies putting together a list. Anyone have numbers?