POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: satya on August 08, 2007, 05:37:53 pm
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Hi!
I live in Chamapign, IL and i would like to know if there are any TEST CENTERS for me to check my Viral Loads and my CD4 counts for FREE (I am unable to afford the TESTS as of NOW)
Please, I would appreciate for the information
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Hi!
I recently relocated to the USA and i would request to let me know what would be the cost of getting the VL tests and for the CD4 tests and where can i get them done.
I am living in Champaign, IL, help me with the info as i am new to this country, Thanks in advance
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The local health department would be a good start. If you are not HIV positive you should not be posting in the Living With HIV forum, it is for positive people and their loved ones only. Please read the welcome thread.
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Dachshund,
Fisrtly, Thank you for replying to my request.
I am male 36 and i have been HIV positive since 2000.
I would like to take the help of fantastic members like you to know more about the drugs, tests till i get acclamatised here.
Thanks
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Satya,
Go to this link it provides all the info for you there. http://www.cuphd.org/hivservices.html
Welcome to U.S.A. & the forum.
Dan
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Dachshund,
Fisrtly, Thank you for replying to my request.
I am male 36 and i have been HIV positive since 2000.
I would like to take the help of fantastic members like you to know more about the drugs, tests till i get acclamatised here.
Thanks
Welcome...I hope you will be able to find the information you are looking for. Please feel free to share your story with us when you are ready. Once again, welcome to the forums.
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Welcome Satya. Isn't there a large university (college) in Champaign, IL?
xxx,
Mike
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Hello Satya, welcome to the forums.
This is going to be complex, as you are new in the country, and do you even have a social security card yet? Do you have a green card or are you on a visa? What I would do is call the phone number from the website given by Dan, and ask them first, but they may not be familiar with situations like yours. I would call major associations in big cities like New York City that surely have seen this situation before.
You do not exist in the US if you do not have a social security number. Without insurance you will have to rely on charity. So call that number first, and let us know what they said.
Milker.
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What is the COST for a CD4 or Viral Load test
I am not sure how much difference there is in cost ( depending on which lab is used. But, I posted this back in April. This was the cost of most of my usual blood tests that are done every three months. These were done through Quest diagnostics.
I am also not sure how much pricing may have changed since I posted this ;
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=11204.msg143960#msg143960
Good Morning ,
Beginning this year ( January 01,07 --our company switched over from Cigna to Aetna. I just received a bill from Quest Diagnostics. Apparently , Aetna doesn't cover all of the cost of the 3 month blood tests.
I figured something like this was going to happen, But I am at least prepared. I wasn't quite sure what my out of pocket would be, until now.
Just to give an idea of the cost ; (these were my blood tests were done on Jan 11th.)
Amylase-------$46.22
Cholesterol---$31.75
Lipoprotein,direct,HDL-----$42.25
Triglycerides ----------------- $ 31.75
Prostate, specific AG--------$100.65 ( that was an expensive one)---once a year
CBC,PLT,DIFF--------$33.00
T- CELLS; ABS CD4 COUNT-----$192.46
Comprehen Metabolic panel-----$49.50
Virus -1 quant---------$ 279..50
Grand total-------$807.08
The amount I have to pay after after Aetna's share is ----- $183.19
I had a feeling that after we switched to Aetna, that I would have to be responsible for some of the costs. It still pays to have insurance. With Cigna, there was no charge for the blood test....
Ray
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Ray are the prices quoted for everyone or just for people with insurance? Usually, folks without insurance pay a much higher price for services. They have no one negotiating lower prices for services.
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Hal
Those are the prices that, that according to Quest , are the charges made to the insurance company.
I beleive that if I didn't have insurance, those are the charges that I would have to pay. But, there could be a posssibility, that the charges could be higher. I wonder, if I were to call Quest and just ask them the cost of these tests,. without insurance, if they would give me that information. I don't see why they would not be able to supply me or anyone else with the costs of those test.
Ray
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Also found this little bit of info :
'The standard HIV PCR test for measuring viral load involves extracting the viral RNA in a known volume of blood, amplifying the RNA through several cycles of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, then separating and tagging the amplified genetic sequences for quantification. Basic equipment to perform PCR ranges around $20,000 and individual tests can cost about $100 apiece.
Ray
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Ray,
If you're looking at charges to the insurance company, they most certainly are lower than 'MSRP' - what an uninsured individual would be charged without the insurance company negotiating. I know my statement of benefits shows the list price (I forget what it's really called), the 'discount' (write-off) price the insurance company is charged, and how much my insurance paid. I believe labs cost my insurance $807 for all those tests. If I'm not mistaken, the discounted price is about 1/3 to 1/2 of the regular price. Fortunately, the State offers a BC/BS PPO to employees that covers all labs by Labcorp 100%... truly great coverage.
David
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Dear All,
Thank you! Especially for you Dan.
I will be getting my SSN in October as my status would change in then. It was nice to know that i can get insurance from aetna eventhough i am positive for HIV.I thank J.R.E for this information.
I am still settling down in Champaign(Yes it has one of the best universities here--University of Urbana and Champaign)i will be in touch with all my good friends in the FORUM once i am all set.
I thank you all for your time.
Satya
732 447 6973(Cingular)
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Hi!
I was till now getting all my TESTS done in India--PCR and VL in one of the best TEST CENTERS available--Ranbaxy Laboratories. Tests are done only on the THURSDAYS and the report would be there on the Wednesday.
It was all costing me $180. Doctors Consultations in one of the BEST (ISO certified hospitals--american experienced doctors with their speciality in Infections,STD and HIV) was just $12.
Thjis is JUST for the INFO--i wanted to share it with friends in the FORUMS - -I think this is what is making INDIA #1 in Medical Tourism.
Thanks,
Satya
732 447 6973(Cingular)
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(http://;D)Well i am not sure what the cost is,as i live in Canada.here healthcare is covered by the GOV. & is free for everyone.Y not come up for a visit & get them done here??well its just a suggestion.I hope everything works out OK for you & yours,GODBLESS & have a good day eh!
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Satya,
You may want to be careful who you disclose your positive hiv status to - the US does NOT allow hiv positive people into the country (officially) unless you have a special dispensation visa in your passport. Even then, I believe it is only available for tourist visas.
In light of this, you may want to remove your phone number from your posts. Hit the modify button in the upper right side of your post and you can change it in the screen that comes up.
You may want to get some legal advice on this.
Ann
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Oh yeah, you can get immediately deported if you are not a legal immigrant (green card) and you have HIV unless you have that special dispensation (waiver) mentioned by Ann.
You won't be able to get a green card either unless you have a waiver. The best to contact about this would be GLAD:
http://www.glad.org/rights/Immigration_Issues.shtml
Milker.
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satya,
You might also want to edit your previous posts so that your phone number doesn't appear in them. It's usually not a good idea to give out that kind of information on any website. Just a friendly "IT security" suggestion. :)