HEALTH

Suit Filed to Preserve AIDS Benefits: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued a New York union welfare fund for cutting off health benefits to a construction worker with AIDS. It filed the lawsuit one day after issuing a detailed policy statement that warns employers it is illegal in most instances to curtail medical benefits just for workers with a specific disability. The EEOC’s interpretation of the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act could prevent companies from following the lead of a Houston music store that cut its AIDS benefits from $1 million to $5,000 after a clerk came down with the disease. But some business experts cautioned that the EEOC’s move could actually spur small businesses to drop health insurance entirely for their workers.