#treatment access

I have spent a lot of time and energy figuring out ways to smuggle medicines to people in need of them.

Over 60 drugmakers raised prices an average of 5.8% on hundreds of drugs.

People with hepatitis C are often desperate and often short of money so they are easy prey for unscrupulous scammers.

I am very aware of the difficulties faced by people in the USA, where Big Pharma artificially inflates the price of critical medicines.

The suit alleges “cruel and unusual punishment” by state prison officials.

37 state Medicaid programs continue to restrict access to lifesaving medication—despite medical guidelines telling them not to.

Many Medicaid systems do.

We all know that the sooner one treats a disease the greater are the chances of a cure without sustaining permanent damage from the disease.

The suit alleges “cruel and unusual punishment” by state prison officials.

Abu-Jamal spent years fighting for access to hepatitis C treatment in prison.

This is one of several lawsuits filed by advocates on behalf of inmates with the liver virus in U.S. prisons.

The state would pay a fixed annual amount for an unlimited supply of HCV drugs for its Medicaid program.

In a recent settlement, the state agreed to expand coverage of HCV treatment—but only to those with advanced liver scarring.

The state is appealing a ruling that requires the prison system to properly treat inmates with the virus.

The Trump administration had proposed changing which meds were covered, including HIV and cancer drugs.

A recent article in The Seattle Times asks why.