Fewer Than 1 In 3 Insured Patients With Hepatitis C Get Treatment
Media outlets report on a new government study that highlights a failure in the medical insurance system: Though many people infected with hepatitis C can be cured by an expensive treatment, fewer than a third of people whose insurance covers the cure are accessing the drugs.
AP:
Fewer Than 1 In 3 Insured Hepatitis C Patients Getting Cure
Fewer than 1 in 3 people infected with hepatitis C are getting the expensive treatments that can cure them, according to a U.S. government study released Tuesday. The report is distressing because it focused on those with health insurance — the group most likely to get treated for the liver infection, said one expert, Dr. Norah Terrault. Insurance restrictions appear to be part of the reason for the surprisingly low percentage. A course of treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars but can wipe out the infection in only a few months. (Stobbe, 8/9)
Axios:
Access Barriers To Hepatitis C Treatment Persist, Despite Health Coverage
Younger adults, under the age of 40, are accessing treatment at the lowest rates, which concerns health officials since this is the group most likely to spread hepatitis C. (Dreher, 8/10)
USA Today:
CDC Hepatitis C Study: Under A Third Of Insured Patients Get Treatment
Treatment was lowest among patients who had state-administered Medicaid plans, with about 23% receiving it. About 28% people covered by Medicare and 35% with private insurance received treatment within the year.“Our study shows that there are large gaps in hepatitis C treatments persisting nearly a decade after a highly effective curative treatment was approved,” said Dr. Carolyn Wester, director of the CDC’s division of viral hepatitis. (Rodriguez, 8/9)
