•  CHAT TRANSCRIPT: IS IT TIME TO CHANGE HIV MEDS?

To Change (HIV Treatment Regimens) or Not to Change: Q+A With Dr. Paul Sax
There are many reasons why someone might want to change HIV medications, including side effects, drug resistance and a rising viral load. The question is: Should you change meds? Last week, HIV specialist Dr. Paul Sax helped dozens of HIVers answer this question during a live chat on The Body! If you missed the chat, don't worry: A transcript of this informative Q+A session is now available!

This live chat was sponsored by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

•  HEPATITIS C

Hepatitis C Tests: Can Immune Problems Interfere With the Results?
Can the results of a hepatitis C virus test -- like the PCR or TMA test -- vary depending on the strength of my immune system? If HIV has weakened my immune system, could that somehow interfere with my hepatitis C test results?


How Do Hepatitis C Viral Levels Relate to Immune Response?
Is a person's hepatitis C viral load affected by his or her level of immune response? If a person's immune system reacts strongly to fight hepatitis C infection, will that cause a spike in hepatitis C viral load, or will it help lower it?

•  HEALTH INSURANCE & HIV

Finding Long-Term Care Coverage When Living With HIV
I'm a healthy, HIV-positive man in my 30s who would like to purchase long-term care health insurance. Is this possible? Do you know of any vendors that will issue such insurance?


A Mixed-Status Couple Considers Switching Health Insurance
My wife and I are on my company's Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance plan. I have HIV; she does not. My job situation has become shaky, so she's planning to enroll both of us in her company's plan -- Aetna -- early next year. Could her plan deny me coverage because I have HIV? If I switch to Aetna and then decide to switch back to Blue Cross/Blue Shield sometime in the future, would I be able to do so without disclosing my HIV status?


What Health Information Does HIPAA Let Companies Receive?
Does HIPAA -- the U.S. law that protects the privacy of people's health information -- have an allowance that says a company can receive frequent, detailed health profiles of its employees? Can companies use this information to identify HIV-positive employees?


Health Insurance Concerns of an American Infected While Living Abroad
I'm a U.S. citizen, but I've been living in Asia for the past 11 years. Last month, I was diagnosed with HIV, and although HIV treatment here is quite inexpensive, I'm worried about what will happen if I eventually move back to the United States. Do you think it'll be easy for me to find health insurance to cover the costs?

•  HAVING A BABY

Safe Insemination With Sperm From an HIV-Positive Man
I'm a 50-year-old, HIV-positive man who would like to have a baby. Can my sperm be used to artificially inseminate an HIV-negative woman? If we do this, how can we be sure that neither she nor the baby will get HIV?

•  SAFE SEX

My Partner Refuses to Wear a Condom -- And Doesn't Know I Have HIV
I'm a gay man who, for the past nine months, has been in an incredible sexual relationship with another guy. He's HIV negative, but I'm HIV positive -- and I haven't told him yet. I beg him to use condoms before we have sex (he's always on top), but he refuses, and what he says goes. I've been avoiding him lately, but I just know we'll meet again -- and when we do, no matter how hard I try, I know he won't let me keep that condom on him. What can I do?


Safe-Sex Options When Allergic to Latex
Because I'm allergic to latex, I develop skin rashes whenever I use a latex condom. My dermatologist recommends I take allergy pills for two or three days after each sexual encounter, but there's no way I can adopt this as a lifelong strategy. Can you recommend something else?

Art From HIV-Positive Artists

The Reauthorization Fight
Has Just Begun