In 2016 Pennsylvania General Assembly approved Act 87 the hepatitis screening act. This act mandates hepatitis C screening of baby boomers in primary care settings. This is in response to high rates of hepatitis C in the baby boomer birth cohort (those born between 1945-1965).
Read the legislation HERE
There are three main types of treatment restrictions for medicaid sponsored hepatitis C treatment. These restrictions vary by state and affect who is able to access a cure. The restrictions in Pennsylvania are currently as follows:
Liver Damage: By January 2018 there will be no fibrosis requirement to receive treatment.
Sobriety: Pennsylvania no longer requires sobriety for treatment. There is however a screening and counseling requirement.
Prescriber Specialty: There is currently a provider specialty restriction. This requires a prescribing provider to be a specialist to provide treatment.
Talk with your primary care doctor to learn more about treatment or visit http://phillyhepatitis.org/support-care to find care.
Hepatitis C: State of Medicaid Access is the culmination of work by the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School (CHLPI) and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) to definitively assess the state of access to DAAs for Medicaid enrollees across America. Through a national report and state-by-state report cards, the project provides an in-depth evaluation of DAA access in each state’s Medicaid program, while highlighting successes in access expansion as well as ongoing challenges.
Access the report and interactive online tools at: https://stateofhepc.org/