The California Department of Health Care Services reports private health plans involved the state of California $387.5 million to cover hepatitis C treatments, according to NPR.
Here are five notes:
1. This amount covered high-cost hepatitis C treatments in Medi-Cal between July 2014 and November 2015, when just 3,624 patients received the treatments.
2. The state’s supplemental payments started after managed care plans that cover health services for almost 80 percent of Medi-Cal recipients raised “alarm” about the high cost of the new drugs.
3. The health insurance companies are usually paid a flat rate per member to cover all healthcare needs.
4. The Department of Health Care Services says this is the first time the state has paid health plans extra money to cover high-cost drugs.
5. The funding will continue next year: the state healthcare agency has budgeted $303.4 million in supplemental drug payments for health plans for 2016 to 2017.
