A new analysis and infographic released today estimate California's
exposure to high-priced Hepatitis C medications could range from
hundreds of millions of dollars, even if only 5 percent of Californians
infected with Hepatitis C receive treatment through state programs. The
analysis, which looks at the costly impact of new Hepatitis C treatments
on public programs, comes at a time when state and federal agencies
grapple with hefty price tags for drugs like Gilead Sciences' Harvoni
and Sovaldi.
California's state agencies have already acknowledged the impact of
high-priced Hepatitis C drugs by setting aside hundreds of millions in
the state budget and establishing workgroups to address the high-cost
drug trend. The analysis released today supports the need for these
proactive actions as these highly-effective, but costly, treatments pose
a significant threat to the stability of our health care system at a
time when health care reform has expanded coverage to millions of
Americans.
"With a host of potentially six-figure priced drugs due to hit the
market this year, this report shows how just one new treatment can blow a
hole in state and federal budgets," said Charles Bacchi, President and
CEO of the California Association of Health Plans. "These findings
illustrate that this pricing trend is not sustainable for our state, its
taxpayers and our public programs."
Read more... Labels: cost of treatment, Health Plans in California