World AIDS Day 2021

World AIDS Day 2021

Since 1988, World AIDS Day has taken place on 1st December. This day is dedicated to raising awareness of AIDS and the spread of HIV, whilst remembering those affected or who have lost their life because of it.

One thing that can be slightly confusing at times is the difference between AIDS and HIV. HIV is a virus which damages cells within your immune system and results in a weakened ability to fight infections and diseases. AIDS is a result of HIV, this develops when your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV (NHS, 2018).

35 million people have died because of AIDS or HIV related illnesses, which is a huge number considering the virus had only been identified in 1984. There are now around 38 million people worldwide estimated to be living with HIV, and 105,200 are within the UK (World AIDS Day, 2021).

As the years have passed since people were first made aware of HIV, people are much more educated on the topic and more open to having conversations about it. But there is often still a big stigma surrounding AIDS and HIV, and discrimination still goes on to this day. Hopefully these annual awareness days will help break down the stigma, and people can truly learn more about the virus and how people can be affected by it.

Though it might seem like there’s little you can do personally in the fight against AIDS and HIV, doing something as simple as buying a red ribbon on World AIDS Day can actually have a big impact in the long run. Not only does the money go towards funding research, treatment and other services, wearing a red ribbon also shows people that you’re with them in the fight and are open to learning more. You can even go one step further and order a box of 100 ribbons with the promise that you will fundraise for the National AIDS trust.

Getting tested for HIV is the only way to find out if you do have it, and starting treatment as soon as you know can mean that you live just as long a life as anyone else. with effective treatment the HIV virus effectively becomes dormant. If you are wanting to be tested, this can be done at NHS sexual health clinics as well as some GP surgeries, pharmacies and charity services.

Access to insurance

At Cura, we have many clients who have HIV and are very aware that this doesn’t necessarily have to have a big impact on your life, as many still live long and full lives. Insurers are gradually changing their stances when it comes to insuring a person with HIV, and at Cura we are continuing to fight for fair and clear insurance policies.

If you have HIV and are applying for life insurance, there are a few questions the insurer will ask on top of the basics. They will want to know when you were diagnosed with HIV, if you were diagnosed in the UK, what medication you have and if you know your viral load and CD4 count. We will ask if your GP is aware of the HIV, as part of our enhanced data protection processes.

When your application is submitted a medical report will be requested from your GP and specialist. If your GP is not aware we will make sure that the insurers know, so that no questions about your HIV status will be asked of your GP. The confidentiality of your medical history is incredibly important.

It might not seem like it but HIV is still considered to be a recent discovery in the insurance world. Some insurers may offer you a life insurance policy with a maximum term of 20 years, others 23 years, some allow you to choose however long you want the policy for. 

You should be prepared for the fact that your life insurance policy could cost slightly more than a person who doesn’t have HIV. This doesn’t mean that it’s going to become silly pricing. 

If you have been diagnosed within the last year, it could be that you might need to look into a specialist life insurance policy, this could also be the case if your CD4 is below 350 or viral load is detectable. 

Critical illness cover can be possible but it’s a bit more restricted to source than life insurance if you have HIV. The best option that you can have is through a group critical illness policy that is arranged by an employer, or potentially your own company. This policy does exclude pre-existing conditions. HIV is not listed as a claimable condition, but it is important to be aware that a claim for Kapowsi’s sarcoma might not be covered, as well any other conditions that are directly linked to the HIV.

There are also some specialist policies which can provide critical illness cover. When taking out a policy like this, it’s really important to understand exactly what you are and are not covered for, as more extensive exclusions are likely to be added to the policy.

There are also unfortunately limited options when it comes to income protection. An insurer’s stance on a condition comes solely from research and statistics, decades worth of data. Even though HIV has been recognised since the 1980s and this is a good while ago, in the insurance world that is seen as quite a short amount of time to try and see patterns of how HIV affects someone’s ability to work over the long-term. Whilst this is frustrating, HIV has had a real focus in the insurance world over the last few years and changes are happening. There are some insurers that do offer income protection and each application is reviewed on an individual basis, so it isn’t easy to give a clear idea of what will be on offer.

At Cura, we are so proud that one of our advisers is the first in the UK to arrange a personal income protection policy for a person living with HIV. When we say we fight for fairer terms, we really mean it. Though it may seem daunting starting the conversation, we are here for you every step of the way.

Resources

NHS (2018). Overview – HIV and AIDS. [online] Nhs. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2021].

World AIDS Day. (2021). ABOUT. [online] Available at: https://www.worldaidsday.org/about/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2021].