ACLU Files Another Suit Against Indiana Over Hep C Treatment

INDIANAPOLIS -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has filed yet another lawsuit against the state, this time against the Family and Social Services Administration. The newest lawsuit is over Medicaid payments for Hepatitis C treatment.

There is a cure for Hepatitis C, but it can cost as much $100,000. Medicaid programs can get the drugs for cheaper, but they're still expensive. So, to limit the burden on the state, there are requirements. Patients have to have a certain level of liver damage, or they have to also be infected with HIV before Medicaid will pay for the treatment.

The ACLU says these requirements put lives at risk. In addition to liver damage, individuals with Hepatitis C can develop cancer, and the longer they go untreated, the more likely it is that they will spread the infection to others.

As such, the ACLU says Indiana's Medicaid is violating state and federal law, and hopes to get the restrictions lifted.