Changes in Use of Hepatitis C Direct-Acting Antivirals After Access Restrictions Were Eased by State Medicaid Programs.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are safe and highly effective for curing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but their high cost led certain state Medicaid programs to impose coverage restrictions. Since 2015, many of these restrictions have been lifted voluntarily in response to advocacy or because of litigation.

Objective

To estimate how the prescribing of DAAs to Medicaid patients changed after states eased access restrictions.

Design, setting, and participants

This modified difference-in-differences analysis of 39 state Medicaid programs included Medicaid beneficiaries who were prescribed a DAA from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019. DAA coverage restrictions were measured based on a series of cross-sectional assessments performed from 2014 through 2

SUBMITTER: Davey S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10998155 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature