New York attorney general sues insurer for restricting hepatitis C drugs

The Boston Globe reports:

The ongoing controversy over the cost of hepatitis C treatments took a new twist late last week when the New York State attorney general filed a lawsuit against a health insurer for denying coverage.

In the lawsuit, the state claims that Capital District Physician’s Health Plan, which has about 450,000 members in upstate New York, refused to pay for hepatitis C drugs unless patients had an advanced stage of the disease, such as moderate or severe liver scarring.

The state further alleged the insurer restricted coverage due to the cost of the drugs but never disclosed that cost was a factor. The hepatitis C treatments range in price from $54,600 to $94,500, depending upon doses and regimen, although this is before any rebates or discounts are applied.

The "regulated" health care market with Big Brother lurking everywhere.