Over the past three years, state Medicaid programs have done a much better job of disclosing information about access to expensive hepatitis C medicines and fewer are restricting treatment to patients, according to a new analysis.
In 2014, 12 states did not make public their criteria for treatment, but all 50 states now do so (although one state, New Jersey, does not disclose specifics for treating different stages of the disease). And in the past three years, 17 states dropped restrictions to access based on a patient’s stage of liver disease, which has been a key test for determining treatment. In 2014, all 50 states had restrictions.
Nonetheless, a fair number of states continue to impose various restrictions that impede access to treatment, even though prices for the medicines have started to fall, according to the authors of the analysis, who argue this violates federal law and runs counter to treatment guidelines and a notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (here is a state-by-state report card).
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