Court OKs Limits on HIV Coverage

A federal appeals panel has ruled that an insurance company should have the option to limit HIV-related health-care coverage to a fraction of the $1-million cap placed on other illnesses. A panel of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling in the case of two HIV-positive Chicago-area men, found that a federal law barring discrimination against people with disabilities does not apply to the content of insurance policies. The decision overturned a ruling by a federal judge last year. For people with AIDS, the decision “legalizes irrational discrimination by health insurers,” Ann Fisher, executive director of the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, said in a statement.