Segment 2 - The Effects of Health Reform on Treatment of Hepatitis C

In this clip, the panel discusses the implications of health reform on the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), including what is needed to improve outcomes. This includes educating primary care physicians about how the Affordable Care Act requires health plans to pay for the costs of testing and screening for risk factors of HCV. Screening is recommended for those at risk, including those who have used injection drugs.

However, changes won’t occur overnight, and the recommendations have not yet been implemented by all health plans, nor have they been for all ages (eg, those born between1946-1964). Additionally, unlike many other screening tests, the HCV antibody tests are not as expensive as other screening tests such as mammographies or colonoscopies. In some cases, it’s what the patients do with the information post-screening that matters most.