New data from the Centers for Disease Control show that less than one-third of people diagnosed with Hepatitis C receive treatment within one year, despite access to direct-acting antivirals.
1% of Americans have hep C. It is a leading cause of death in the U.S., contributing to the death of approximately 14 thousand people each year.
Houry says the number of new Hepatitis C infections in the U.S. has steadily increased since 2010, which she says is another dire outcome of the nation opioid crisis.
Given this growing burden of hepatitis C treatment, it is critical that we understand how to reach out to more people of substance use disorder with the hope of saving lives and preventing the spread of the infection. Houry said.
A study used HealthVerity — an administrative claims and encounters database — and collected data on adults 18-69 diagnosed with HCV infection for six months to assess the correlation between initiation of DAA treatment and other variables like race, payor status, Medicaid restriction status, etc.
Overall, these researchers found that the prevalence of DAA treatment initiation within 360 days of the first positive HCV RNA test result among Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance recipients was 23%, 28% and 35%, respectively. Among those treated, 75% of Medicaid recipients, 77% of Medicare recipients and 84% of private insurance recipients initiated treatment within 180 days of diagnosis.
Carolyn Wester, MD, MPH, director of the CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis, said that not all types of insurance are equal.
According to the study, Medicaid and Medicare were about twice as likely to initiate treatment for mental health issues compared to those with private insurance.
Wester claims that the disparity might be due to a lack of health care or language and cultural barriers.
After adjusting for insurance type, the study showed that treatment initiation was lowest among adults aged 18 to 29 and 30 to 39 years with Medicaid or private insurance. The 50-59-year-olds had a lower initiation rate as well.
People with Medicaid who reside in states with restrictions were less likely to get treated for diabetes than those on Medicaid living in states without restrictions. And Black or African American individuals and other race that is not white.
Mark Wester said that the growth rates of death from hepatitis C among black and Hispanic people in the United States have experts concerned.
To eliminate hep C eligible people should be able to access hepatitis C testing and treatments. Fortunately, there are things that we can do right now to advance health equity and expand hepatitis C testing and treatment for all people.
To make insurance more available to people with Hepatitis C, healthcare providers, insurers, policymakers, and public health professionals should work together to reduce eligibility restrictions, preauthorization requirements, and the difficulties in accessing treatment. They should also consider providing hepatitis C treatment where other services like primary care offices, community clinics, syringe services programs, substance use treatment centres and correctional facilities.
Dr Wistasky said, People should be able to access a lifesaving treatment without jumping over hurdles.
Source: https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20220809/less-than-onethird-of-people-with-hepatitis-c-get-timely-treatment
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