November 21, 2012 Nearly all adults and older teens should get
tested for HIV at least once, a top group of experts says. The
advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Doctors and insurance companies often follow this group's advice
on preventive care. The task force recommends that people ages
15 through 64 get the test as a routine part of a checkup. In
the past, tests were recommended only for people at high risk of
infection. But the new advice is based on growing evidence that
treatment not only lengthens life but also greatly reduces the
chance of spreading the virus to others. Experts estimate that
20% of those who are infected don't know it and therefore are
not getting treatment. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention has backed widespread HIV testing for some time. But
most doctors still don't do the tests routinely. The task force
is seeking public comments before publishing its final advice.
Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance must cover preventive-
care tests tha