Aetna has revealed the HIV status of at least 23 of its customers by mailing details of their medication prescriptions which were visible through the clear windows of the envelopes, said lawyers seeking to stop the practice.
Attorneys said the mail had been seen by recipients’ family members, roommates and even neighbors, CNN reported.
The Legal Action Center and the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania said the health care company sent the mail to nine states. The two legal organizations have teamed up with attorneys from eight other organizations in a bid to represent these customers.
The AIDS Law Project said the information was devastating after neighbors and family learned of customers’ intimate health information.
“They also were shocked that their health insurer would utterly disregard their privacy rights,” the organization said.
A cease-and-desist letter was submitted to Aetna on Thursday, calling for an immediate end to the letters in the current form and demanding the health insurer to develop a plan to correct its practices and procedures.
Ronda B. Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, said the casual way in which Aetna disclosed its customers HIV status and use of HIV medication was far more technical than a violation of the law.
“It creates a tangible risk of violence, discrimination and other trauma.”
The Legal Action Center said that while medical advances may have helped transform HIV into a chronic yet manageable condition, there was still a widespread stigma against people living with HIV, leading to discrimination and violence in the workplace, the home and the school system.
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