A National Epidemic of Hepatitis C Transmission
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Hepatitis C Hits Young, Rural Drug Users Hard
By Anne Harding
Hepatitis C virus infections are skyrocketing among young people in rural areas where injection drug use is common. But resources for preventing the spread of the disease — from needle exchange programs to substance abuse treatment — are few and far between.
Among people younger than 30 in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection nearly quadrupled from 2006 to 2012, according to a study published this May in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Similar increases have been reported over the same time period in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and upstate New York.
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12 Comments
Wouldn’t Harvoni be a better option than all the Doctor visits we end up having medications they prescribe for the symptoms like the edema that has me going to a vascular surgeon, I’m going through hell my hep-c is the most common i said no to interfuron years back which now i hear would not make me a candidate for the Harvoni i finally get to see a Hep-c Doctor and i Pray some how i’ll be able to get the Harvoni it will cure me, i want to Live
Who told you that if you turned down Interferon yrs. ago, no treatment, such as Harvoni would be given to u? That’s false. The trouble getting the new treatments is most insurances won’t pay unless you are in really bad shape. But, u may qualify. Go in to see your Hep C dr. and you both decide. New txs are much more effective and lots less side effects. Good luck and try everything u can to get well.
Please dont wait!! Call the Gilead Patient Assistance Program. I did and Im well. Funny thing is my doctor, in front of God and everybody, tried to take credit for getting me this drug. (Didnt happen like that). He was working more for tthe insurance company than fighting for my cause! Well wishes!
Hi Penny,
I have a 300.000 viral load and a level one fibrosis so I guess I’m not sick enough so my insurance denied me ! How does the assistance program work?
AG
And, yes John Thomas, it would make way more since and be way more humain.
They found HCV in 1993 during a life insurance exam. I waited ten years before going on interferon when my immune system was so compromised I kept getting upper respiratory infections. After losing 30 pounds, six months in bed and pain of the treatments, I did not sustain a zero viral load. Twelve years later this last Oct. my doctor, same one for twenty years told me about Harvoni. Insurance fought tooth and nail, but I had viral load over 1 Million, had Stage 4 cirrhosis, non responder so I met all the criteria. Went on Harvoni on Dec 27, 2014. If I waited a week, my insurance would no longer cover Harvoni. Two weeks later I went for blood work and my ALT and AST went from about 250 each to 25. Perfect score. Lowest enzymes in over 20 years.. Miracle drug!
hello
My doctor want to take credit for getting me the harvony pill to but I called Giliad and they made me a good deal and now my hepc is gone this is the best pill ever.
Humana insurance approved Harvoni first time i applied for treatment in January 2015 eight weeks of treatment nothing but love for Humana going into August im virus free ps i was originally diagnosed with hep c in 2000 dont know if i had it longer than that its like i have been given a second chance god is not only good god is great thank you Humana.
I’ve had HCV since the late 80s and my husband has had it almost the same length of time. I’ve been on ribavirin&interferon therapy once. Also did 6 month of a triple medication study w/ them as well. Treatment for us has only been through clinical trials because of $. My treatment response didnt last due to me being dual genotypes(4&1) and my husbands viral load is extremely high so finding trials to accept us is difficult. So we wait till an affordable drug is released and after having HCV 25+ years we wonder will it come before this virus kills us? Maybe. This “epidemic” was inevitable and it will get worse. Medicaid won’t cover the newer meds and last time I checked they will cover the interferon but not ribavirin.
People who don’t have insurance (who can’t even afford paying for it with the discounts) still exist in large numbers,government insurance such as Medicaid won’t pay for the newest meds. As usual the low income & blue collar workers are denied treatment,no big surprise. When someone important dies from HCV or someone’s rich daughter or son gets it…then they’ll pay attention to the seriousness of HCV. It will kill more people than the AIDS epidemic,doubled or tripled.
The the addicts,the poor,the homeless are the ones who suffer at the hands of those with $$$ because in their eyes those are the”undesirables”. People are people everyone should be able to get the newest medications even if they don’t have insurance or money.
I do quite a few prior authorizations for the physicians office I work for and a lot of times if you have been denied by an insurance company, the maker of the medication has a patient assistant program and you can get the medication for a very low cost or free. Just a thought for you, and you may have all ready tried.
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