Thursday, September 1, 2016

Colorado to expand coverage for Hep C patients, but some still won’t get the expensive drug

Colorado to expand coverage for Hep C patients, but some still won’t get the expensive drug

By Jennifer Brown | jbrown@denverpost.com

Colorado will increase access to a life-saving, expensive hepatitis C drug, covering needy patients in earlier stages of liver disease than were previously considered, the state Medicaid department said Thursday.

The state has paid for the 12-week drug treatment with a 90 percent cure rate only for patients who were in the final two stages of liver disease. Under the new policy, Medicaid patients can receive the drug if their liver damage has advanced to the second out of five stages — zero meaning no liver damage and four diagnosed as cirrhosis.

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