HIV testing.

Existing law requires that every patient who has blood drawn at a primary care clinic, as defined, and who has consented to the test, be offered an HIV test that is consistent with the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for screening for HIV infection. Existing law specifies the manner in which the results of that test are provided. This bill would, additionally, apply those provisions to a patient who has been admitted as an inpatient to a general acute care hospital through the emergency department and has blood drawn after being admitted to the hospital. The bill would specify that the emergency department is not responsible for offering the HIV test. The bill would authorize a hospital to offer the HIV test at any time during the patient's admission. The bill would specify that these provisions do not prohibit a patient's health plan from applying any patient cost share or other limitation that is authorized by law and included in the contract between the plan and the patient.