W.Va. advances bill to charge for HIV testing

The bill is part of an effort to shift costs away from states and toward patients and private insurers.

Loretta Haddy, the director of epidemiology at the state Department of Health and Human Resources, said that the bill is necessary to allow local clinics to continue operating.

"The only way we can deliver basic public health services is to amend our legislation to allow local health departments to charge for delivery services," Haddy said.

Haddy said that because of the budget cuts and the coming Affordable Care Act — which will increase the number of patients with insurance — states are being encouraged to transfer costs to insurers.

"The reason we're being encouraged to do it is because the federal funding is being cut year after year," Haddy said. "And there's no end in sight."

Currently anyone in West Virginia can get free STD tests and treatment from local health departments. The funding for those services comes primarily from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has had recent budget cuts. Over the last two years, West Virginia has lost about $617,000 in federal money for its HIV-AIDS program. Much of that money was shifted from West Virginia to states with higher HIV rates.

Despite the funding cuts, local health departments have continued to provide basic testing and treatment free of charge.