Ohio Health Policy News

Ohio Medicaid to pay for earlier hepatitis C treatment

The Ohio Department of Medicaid on Wednesday announced that it will begin paying for the treatment of patients with hepatitis C at an earlier stage of the disease (Source: “Ohio Department of Medicaid to treat those with Hepatitis C earlier,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 31, 2018).

Starting Jan. 1, 2019, the department will cover care for individuals when they first develop the disease instead of waiting until it progresses further.

Cases of hepatitis C have seen a resurgence in Ohio in recent years due to the opioid epidemic. The number of cases in the state climbed 38 percent from 2014 to 2017, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Health. In 2014, there were 15,806 new cases and by 2017, there were 21,882 new cases. Nationwide, more than 3 million people have chronic hepatitis C, according to the CDC.

“Individuals with opioid use disorder are the fastest growing population impacted by hepatitis C,” Tom Betti, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Medicaid, said in a prepared statement. “In an effort to mitigate the harm caused by the opioid epidemic, the Ohio Department of Medicaid is changing policy to begin earlier therapy for individuals with chronic hepatitis C. We have been studying this issue for some time and believe this action is the next appropriate step as part of Ohio’s response to the opioid crisis.”

Medicare diabetes prevention program struggles at launch

The rollout of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, a major new benefit that could help millions of people, is getting off to a rocky start, according to interviews with nearly a dozen experts (Source: “New Medicare Perk For Diabetes Prevention Stumbles At Rollout,” Kaiser Health News, April 19, 2018).

Several weeks ago Medicare launched an initiative to prevent seniors and people with serious disabilities from developing Type 2 diabetes, one of the most common and costly medical conditions in the U.S.

In all but a few locations, experts said, Medicare’s new prevention program — a yearlong series of classes about healthy eating, physical activity and behavioral change for people at high risk of developing diabetes — isn’t up and running yet. And there’s no easy way (no phone number or website) to learn where it’s available.

In a first for Medicare, community organizations such as YMCAs and senior centers will run the program, not doctors and hospitals. But many sites are struggling with Medicare’s contracting requirements and are hesitant to assume demanding administrative responsibilities, said Brenda Schmidt, acting president of the Council for Diabetes Prevention and chief executive officer of Solera Health, a company that assembles provider networks.