Bill > AB1843

This bill aims to improve access to treatment for hepatitis C and enhance the confidentiality of public health records related to hepatitis B and C. Specifically, it prohibits health care service plans and health insurers from requiring prior authorization for direct-acting antiviral drugs that are medically necessary for treating hepatitis C, with a provision that at least one therapeutically equivalent drug must be covered without prior authorization if multiple exist. It also mandates that clinical criteria used by these entities for hepatitis C treatment must align with current guidelines from organizations like the Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and prohibits certain requirements like liver biopsies or sobriety tests for treatment approval. Additionally, the bill strengthens the confidentiality of public health records containing personally identifiable information related to hepatitis B and C, making them accessible only with consent or as legally permitted, while allowing local health officers to disclose information for case management and disease prevention, and imposing civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosures.

Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1843