HEALTH-CARE WORKERS AND HIV - POLICY CHOICE IN A FEDERAL SYSTEM

In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that a health-care worker (HCW) had apparently transmitted the virus that causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to patients while providing them routine medical treatment. This article examines the policy choices made based on this case. It begins by reviewing the federal system for making these policies. The conflicting public and professional policy recommendations are then summarized. Next, a framework for policy choice in a federal system is outlined and federal and state choices are described. The final section suggests some implications of these choices for American federalism.