Pilot Project: Measuring Medicaid Access to Care and its Downstream Implications: The Case of Hepatitis C

Measuring Medicaid Access to Care and its Downstream Implications: The Case of Hepatitis C
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Norma B. Coe, PhD
CO-INVESTIGATORS: Paula Chatterjee, MD, MPH
 

This work explores the across-state and within-state variation in access to Hepatitis C treatment drugs through the Medicaid program. It is focused on three areas: disease severity; sobriety requirements; and prescribing limitations. At the same time it looks at how these changes in access impact state-level prescribing behavior. Backgrounding the work is the fact that the expense of HCV treatment has led to unprecedented rationing of access to drugs in the Medicaid market. This, despite evidence that early access and treatment is both best for the patient and cost-effective.