Insurers, Medicaid fear multibillion-dollar hepatitis C drug tab

U.S. health insurers are seeking help from state health officials to foot the bill for a new generation of hepatitis C treatments that could cost the nation $200 billion or more in the next five years. Several insurers, including Molina Healthcare, which administer health plans for California's Medicaid program for the poor are asking states to step in and pay for Gilead Sciences Inc's Sovaldi, a drug that costs $84,000 per patient. California, home to more than 9 million of the 62 million people who receive Medicaid benefits nationally, said it is still considering policies on how to reimburse for these new drugs. That can help millions of Americans avoid repeated treatment with other therapies, as well as the more serious consequences of liver disease.



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