The Hepatitis B Foundation has been working to increase access to hepatitis B medications in the United States. To aid this effort, we are launching a new survey to collect treatment access stories, as part of the B the Voice Story Bank. These stories will help raise awareness around the issue and support future advocacy efforts to put an end to these discriminatory practices.
If you or someone you know has relevant experience, we encourage you to submit stories here: Treatment Access in the USPart of the B the Voice Story Bank by the Hepatitis B Foundation Survey .
Background
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), people living with chronic diseases like hepatitis B are protected from discriminatory healthcare policies and health insurance benefit plan designs. Despite such legal protections, health insurance companies have found other ways to discourage people living with hepatitis B from choosing their plans.
Discriminatory treatment access actions include, but is not limited to:
- Generic drugs on pricing tiers 3 and above
- Placing most or all hepatitis B treatments on the highest tiers
- Requiring coinsurance rates instead of copays for most or all hepatitis B treatments
- Mandatory physician’s approval (prior authorization) for first-line or generic treatments
- A combination of any of the above markers of discrimination
Thank you!
Maureen Kamischke
Hepatitis B Foundation