Bipartisan momentum is building for the Cure Hep C Act, a comprehensive approach to eliminating the disease nationwide. If Congress passes the bill, whether as a standalone measure or within a larger legislative package, the United States could save billions of dollars and prevent millions of avoidable deaths.
A National Plan Takes Shape
The proposal represents a major leap forward in public health. It would:
- Instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to identify gaps and missed opportunities in current federal efforts to fight hepatitis C and to set clear goals for prevention, detection and treatment
- Provide for a low-cost, subscription-style pricing model to help hepatitis C treatments reach people at high risk and to ensure continuity of care
- Ensure coverage for people who are uninsured or on Medicaid, people in prisons and jails, and people served by the Indian Health Service
- Support a coordinated national framework to aggregate data about disease prevalence and outcomes
- Prohibit, or significantly reduce, the use of prior authorization for hepatitis C screening and treatment
The Question of Cost
The Cure Hep C Act outlines a more cost-effective approach to diagnosing and treating the disease.
For instance, the bill encourages states to accelerate outreach to meet existing needs and to diagnose infections earlier, lowering total care costs. A report from the Congressional Budget Office determined that the cost of providing proactive hepatitis C testing and treatment would “more than offset“ direct spending to treat the disease when it was discovered later.
Meanwhile, the national, subscription-based pricing model outlined by the bill could allow states to cut costs while expanding access to hepatitis C treatment.
The Cure Hep C Act allocates funding for public health outreach, expanded screening and support services that help patients stay engaged in care. The funding is all the more important as states’ capacity to provide public health programming is disrupted by shifts in Medicaid funding.
Hepatitis C elimination also depends heavily on HIV prevention. But major cuts to HIV programs could be on the horizon, potentially weakening hepatitis C response capabilities.
Changing the Trajectory
The Cure Hep C Act advances an evidence-based strategy to eliminate a curable disease that still claims too many lives. With broad benefits for public health and federal budgets alike, this comprehensive bill offers a rare opportunity to align prevention, treatment and long-term savings under one unified plan.
