Mark T. Linthicum, MPP

Expanding private-payer coverage of hepatitis C treatment may yield significant long-term cost savings for private payers, reduced costs to Medicare, and increased social value.

Expanding screening for hepatitis C virus infection may generate substantial benefits for patients and society, but only when paired with expanded treatment policies.

Despite the high cost of novel hepatitis C treatments and patients' apparent willingness to bear part of it, high patient cost sharing is both inefficient and inequitable.