Re: ARC

[Guest guest]

Being HIV+ is not the same as having AIDS either clinically or by definition. ARC is somewhat anachronistic. See a discussion about this at http://www.aegis.com/topics/definition.html for details. It was used to refer to people who were HIV+ but didn't have full blown AIDS - the T cell count is somewhat suppressed (T cells between 200-500) along with a list of diseases like herpes zoster (shingles). I don't think it's currently being used very much, except maybe by insurance companies. Obviously, if you are just HIV+ and your T cells have always been above 500 you can truthfully answer that you have had neither AIDS nor ARC. If your T cells have temporarily fallen at some point below 500 but have recovered, and you've never had any HIV related illness in the "ARC" list, what you decide to do is

up to you. Personally, in that situation, unless my medical records documented a discussion where I was told specifically that I had "ARC", I would answer negatively, but this does not constitute legal advice. The reason I personally would respond negatively in this situation is because it seems highly unlikely that the average person could reasonably be expected to know the definition of "ARC" unless they'd been told by a health care provider that they fell into that category and the discussion was documented in their medical records, or unless the questionnaire I was answering specifically defined what "ARC" meant and I had been told by my doctor that I had one of the listed conditions. Again, this does not constitute legal advice. As far as the privacy issues goes (who in your company would have access to your medical history and what they can do with it

etc),. there's a forum at www.thebody.com which answers questions about employment and insurance, and usually you get answers quickly if you tell them you need a really fast response. I suspect that if your personal medical information wasn't kept totally confidential, or if you suffered any employment consequences you thought were related to disclosing your HIV status, you might have grounds for legal action. A friend of mine is claiming discrimination on that basis - the company he worked for is a well known national chain, owned by a gay man no less. He is simply HIV+, although there are other issues involved. Here's one response at The Body to a question somewhat like yours which may be helpful, although this person was newly hired and in a probationary period. This person was asked

whether they were HIV+. It also has a link to a website called helpwithbenefits.com. The response gives advice about where you might be able to get information about your rights in your state, and how to go about it: http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/Workplace/Archive/Confidentiality/Q152893.html Here's another link for the legal history of AIDS and ARC: http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/Books/lbb/x590.htm Original message:. ARCPosted by: "hiflipinvert" hiflipinvert@... hiflipinvertDate:

Thu Nov 2, 2006 7:05 pm (PST)My company is switching insurance and I have to fill out a questionaire and one of the questions is, " Has anyone named in this applications been treated or diagnosed by a medical proffesional with AIDS or an ARC. Since I only have HIV I am assuming that it doesn't mean the same as having AIDS. Or am I just way off track. Then second what is considered an Aids Related Complex(ARC)? Thank you. I work for a small company and this could not end up being very good situation. Any suggestions would be most helpful... I am hoping to be able to answer this question, "no."

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