New York AG investigates 16 insurers over drug restriction concerns

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has requested information from 16 health insurers on their coverage of hepatitis C treatments, according to Bloomberg.

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The attorney general’s office issued subpoenas to the insurers, including Aetna and Anthem, asking for documents detailing the process they use to determine if members’ hepatitis C medications will be covered.

The high price of hepatitis C medications, specifically those made by Gilead Sciences, have caused some insurers to limit access to the drugs. Although some insurers have negotiated discounts for the drugs, which have a list price of about $1,000 a pill, they still restrict them to the sickest patients, according to the report.

A spokeswoman for the New York Health Plan Association, Leslie Moran, told Bloomberg the scope of the subpoenas is too broad. She also noted the attorney general is failing to consider the impact of “excessive and unsupported pricing” for the hepatitis C drugs.

More articles on payer issues:

CMS finalizes changes to ACA marketplace: 6 things to know
Fitch: Blue Cross hit hard by ACA losses
Major Oregon health insurers end 2015 with losses

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