December 7, 2022
The Justice Department, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, yesterday announced that it has secured an Americans with Disabilities Act settlement agreement with the State of Alabama’s Medicaid Agency (Alabama Medicaid) to ensure that Alabama Medicaid recipients with Hepatitis C (HCV) who also have a substance use disorder (SUD) will be provided equal access to medications to treat their hepatitis. Alabama Medicaid previously maintained a sobriety restriction policy, at odds with medical best practices, preventing any person with HCV who had used any alcohol or illicit drugs within the six months prior to treatment initiation from receiving potentially life-saving medication to cure their HCV. Alabama Medicaid has withdrawn the policy and the agreement requires notification to both Medicaid recipients and Medicaid providers of these changes and prompt remediation of any instances where the prior policy is applied. To find out more about this agreement or the ADA, visit ada.gov or call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA information line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY).
Article Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
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