Patient Who Helped Force Washington Medicaid To Cover Hep C Drugs Savors Victory
Adam Rabb of Olympia, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that forced Washington state to cover the expensive drugs for Medicaid enrollees, has begun receiving the medication. But he worries about other patients who haven’t heard about the court injunction and may not know they can get medicine. Also in Medicaid news are concerns about toddlers falling out of the program and an audit finds some oversight problems in New Jersey.
Seattle Times:
Court Paves Way For Medicaid Patients To Get Costly Hepatitis C Treatment
Adam Rabb holds the bottle of Harvoni pills in his hands, and it feels like a fistful of gold. Except gold might have been easier for him to get. Rabb, diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2010, needed a court order to get these pills. With one move from a federal judge, the 47-year-old Lakewood, Pierce County, resident is one of the first of potentially thousands of Washingtonians on Medicaid whose lives could improve with access to the so-called blockbuster drug. (O'Sullivan, 7/10)
Related KHN coverage: Medicaid, Private Insurers Begin To Lift Curbs On Pricey Hepatitis C Drugs (Graham, 7/5)
Kaiser Health News:
Many Toddlers Fail To Get Necessary Medicaid Renewal At Their First Birthday
Many babies born to mothers who are covered by Medicaid are automatically eligible for that coverage during the first year of their lives. In a handful of states, the same is true for babies born to women covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program. Yet, this smart approach is routinely undermined by another federal policy that requires babies’ eligibility be reevaluated on their first birthday. Although they’re likely still eligible for coverage, many of these toddlers fall through the cracks. (Andrews, 7/12)
NJ.com:
Audit Criticizes N.J. For Lax Oversight Of Medicaid Rides
New Jersey has done a poor job of overseeing the private company that handles non-emergency medical transportation for Medicaid patients, according to a federal audit. That lapse in oversight may have affected nearly $65 million in services, according to the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Livio and O'Brien, 7/11)
