HJBR Nov/Dec 2019

48 NOV / DEC 2019 I  Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge column INSURANCE Hepatitis C Subscription Model Yields Need for Greater Screenings Hepatitis C, the most common blood-borne disease in the U.S., is often a silent infection—one that all too often goes undiagnosed until it advances enough to cause the serious signs and symptoms of liver disease. Although curable, the cost of the treatment has largely limited the cure for many of those who most need it—until recently, that is. In June, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) announced a unique arrangement that will allow the state to provide hepatitis C treatments to Medicaid and prison populations. This increased availability has revealed another important need in Louisiana, however: the need for increased screenings. A Model for Other States The LDH estimates that each year, about 500 people are infected with hepatitis C (HCV) in our state, and that approximately 39,000 people either on Medicaid or in the state’s prison system have the virus. Treat- ment for these individuals would cost an estimated $760 million, previously forcing the state to restrict treatment to only those who had already suffered liver damage due to the virus. Recognizing the need to fight the virus before it reaches that deadly point, and also recognizing that the tremendous expense of the treatment was unsustainable, the state successfully negotiated with Gilead Sciences to establish a subscription-based model that allows the LDH to access the medications at a fixed rate.