Sponsors (2)
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Bill Cassidy · Last progress June 4, 2025
The bill makes a substantial federal investment to expand equitable testing and free curative treatment for hepatitis C and builds national coordination and procurement capacity, but it raises sizable federal costs, administrative burdens, and eligibility and program constraints that may limit participation and affect providers and privacy.
People with or at risk for hepatitis C — including Medicaid beneficiaries, uninsured people, incarcerated individuals, Indian Health Service patients, low-income and rural populations, and Medicare beneficiaries during 2027–2031 — will gain substantially expanded access to screening, diagnosis, and curative direct-acting antiviral treatment with reduced or no patient cost‑sharing.
Federal investment and purchasing strategies (a $5.5 billion subscription model, a $4.283 billion elimination program, and grant funding for diagnostics and grants) will secure drug supplies, create predictable procurement, and can lower per‑unit drug costs for program participants.
A coordinated national strategy — including measurable goals, an interagency working group, an advisory committee, a public dashboard and annual reports, a public awareness campaign, and technical assistance — will improve targeting, transparency, and implementation of hepatitis C elimination efforts.
All taxpayers and federal programs face substantial new costs — primarily the $5.5 billion subscription appropriation, the $4.283 billion elimination program, Medicare coverage costs, and grant/test funding — which could increase federal spending and budgetary pressures.
States, local agencies, correctional systems, providers and pharmacies will face new administrative and reporting burdens (eligibility verification, audits, applications, reporting, and compliance with Division D rules), and a 5‑year opt‑in commitment may deter participation and leave some eligible people outside the program.
Noncitizens who are not in the enumerated eligible categories will be excluded from federally funded services under the Act, and extending eligibility to additional groups depends on HHS rulemaking that could delay coverage for deserving people.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal Hepatitis C elimination program with a subscription purchasing model, funds state grants, and removes Medicare Part D cost‑sharing for DAAs (2027–2031).
Creates a federal Hepatitis C elimination effort that buys direct‑acting antiviral (DAA) medicines under a subscription-style purchasing program, distributes those treatments without cost-sharing to eligible people through registered pharmacies, correctional systems, the Bureau of Prisons, and Indian Health Service sites, and funds state and local grants to expand screening, diagnosis, treatment, and related services. It also appropriates $4.283 billion (available FY2025–FY2031), caps program admin at 5 percent, transfers $25 million to the Bureau of Prisons, and eliminates Medicare Part D cost‑sharing for DAAs for plan years 2027–2031.