Restrictions on Hep C Treatment Lifted for NYers on Medicaid

Amida Care applauds the decision of the Drug Utilization Review Board (DURB) to remove restrictions preventing New York Medicaid members with Hepatitis C from receiving treatment that could cure them, as reported recently in Politico and the Albany Times Union. In New York, patients with Medicaid fee-for-service will no longer have to be in advanced stages of liver disease or be co-infected with HIV in order to qualify for the newest treatments, which are expensive but very effective and have fewer and milder side effects than previous treatment regimens.

"This is a victory that is long overdue. If our health care system creates barriers to wellness, then it isn't working. Health care is a right, not a privilege. This expanded access to Hepatitis C treatment means that countless people who would have been denied access to life-saving treatment will now have a chance to get well before it's too late," said Doug Wirth, president and CEO of Amida Care. "This wouldn't have happened without the hard work of the many activists who fought to make treatment available to those need it most. More than 400 Amida Care Medicaid members who are co-infected with HIV have already been cured of Hepatitis C because they had coverage and access to cutting-edge treatment."

New York State will also continue to expand its efforts to secure drug company rebates to support accessible treatment and advance affordability to Medicaid. It is estimated that about 60,000 of New York State's 200,000-plus Hepatitis C patients are covered by Medicaid.