U.S. Medicare may pay for HIV testing

* CMS: Evidence shows tests useful for elderly, disabled

* Shares of HIV test makers close higher

By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Americans enrolled in the Medicare health insurance program would be able to get screened for HIV under a draft government proposal to pay for the tests.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the program for the elderly and disabled, said on Wednesday there was enough evidence to show that such screening tests could help detect the infection sooner.

"CMS believes that there is now adequate evidence that voluntary HIV screening ... is reasonable and necessary for early detection of HIV and is appropriate for Medicare beneficiaries," the agency said.

An estimated 1.1 million Americans are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, that causes AIDS, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year an additional 56,000 are newly infected.

About 19 percent of U.S. residents with AIDS were 50 years old or older when they were diagnosed, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

"Knowing about their HIV status can help patients live longer, fuller lives as well as avoid unintentional transmission of the virus to others," Sebelius said.