{"id":581,"date":"2026-07-15T18:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:08:22","slug":"bipartisan-bill-to-eliminate-hepatitis-c-unveiled-in-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581","title":{"rendered":"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u200b
A bipartisan pair of\u00a0House members are introducing legislation aimed at treating\u00a0millions of Americans of a deadly-but-curable liver disease, the culmination of a yearslong push from public health advocates.<\/p>\n

Read more Clayton defends subpoenas of journalists in tense confirmation hearing<\/a><\/p>\n

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., would create a national hepatitis C elimination program to expand testing and treatment especially for people least likely to access it, including those who are incarcerated, uninsured, low-income, or receiving care through the Indian Health Service.<\/p>\n

The legislation would also direct the federal government to enter into five-year subscription agreements with at least one drug manufacturer to purchase unlimited hepatitis C treatments at a fixed price. That could make a big difference in expanding access to the drug, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per course of treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHepatitis C is beatable. We have the tools to eliminate it, and this bill puts them within reach of the Americans who need them most,\u201d Miller-Meeks said in a statement.<\/p>\n

An estimated 2.2 million to 4 million adults in the U.S. have hepatitis C. Because the disease often has no early symptoms, only about half are aware they are infected.<\/p>\n

Hepatitis C spreads primarily through exposure to infected blood, most commonly through sharing needles or other equipment used to inject drugs. Among those who are diagnosed, just one-third receive timely treatment. Left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to serious complications, including liver damage, cancer, and death.<\/p>\n

The legislation would appropriate $5.5 billion in mandatory funds for the subscription purchase program, which would provide hepatitis C drugs to underserved, uninsured and other eligible patients. It would eliminate cost-sharing and prior authorization requirements for people who receive hepatitis C treatment through the program, as well as cost sharing for Medicare Part D beneficiaries through 2032.<\/p>\n

It would also award nearly $4.3 billion worth of grants to states, community health centers, tribal health programs, correctional facilities and other organizations.<\/p>\n

Sponsors say the measure would ultimately\u00a0save the federal government $6.6 billion over ten years by reducing the\u00a0long-term costs of treating the effects of the disease, though sponsors are still awaiting an official score from the Congressional Budget Office.<\/p>\n

The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Don Bacon, R-Neb.<\/p>\n

Johnson, who has disclosed that\u00a0he had hepatitis C\u00a0but is free of the disease\u00a0since undergoing treatment,\u00a0said in a statement he hopes to raise awareness of the \u201csilent killer\u201d so that \u201cothers at risk can get tested and treated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several countries are on the way to eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030 following a goal established by the World Health Organization after a cure hit the market more than a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more NRCC adds 7 more candidates to MAGA Majority program<\/a><\/p>\n

While the U.S. signed onto that goal, its progress has trailed behind other countries like England, which has funded a national plan that focuses on expanding free access to testing and treatment.<\/p>\n

Under the U.S. health care system, access can vary based on where a person lives, what type of insurance they have \u2014 if they have any \u2014 and whether they are incarcerated or facing challenges like homelessness or drug use.<\/p>\n

The high price tag for the drug in the U.S. has also led state Medicaid programs, insurers and correctional facilities to impose restrictions that limit access to treatment.<\/p>\n

The bill\u2019s sponsors will likely try to tack the legislation onto a must pass, year-end spending bill.<\/p>\n

Miller-Meeks and DeGette are members of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the bill. DeGette is the panel\u2019s top Democrat.<\/p>\n

The bill is similar to one sponsored by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman\u00a0Bill Cassidy, R-La., and cosponsored by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., except that language preventing immigrants from accessing the medication under the program in the Senate version does not appear in the House text.<\/p>\n

That language had been a non-starter for House Democrats, who noted that hepatitis C is an infectious disease that can spread regardless of immigration status.<\/p>\n

The Senate bill has yet to receive hearings or a vote in committee.<\/p>\n

DeGette and Cassidy\u00a0are leaving Congress after losing their primaries, putting more pressure on them to cement their legacies.<\/p>\n

Miller-Meeks, a physician and former director of Iowa\u2019s public health department, is a perennial Democratic target every two years. She won her 2024 race by just 799 votes, a 0.2 percentage-point margin. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates her 2026 race a Toss-up.<\/p>\n

Read more Johnson appeases holdouts and unfreezes House floor<\/a><\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u200bA bipartisan pair of\u00a0House members are introducing legislation aimed at treating\u00a0millions of Americans of a deadly-but-curable liver disease, the culmination of a yearslong push from public health advocates. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., would create a national hepatitis C elimination program to expand testing and treatment especially for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-policy"],"yoast_head":"\nBipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House - American Industry Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House - American Industry Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u200bA bipartisan pair of\u00a0House members are introducing legislation aimed at treating\u00a0millions of Americans of a deadly-but-curable liver disease, the culmination of a yearslong push from public health advocates. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., would create a national hepatitis C elimination program to expand testing and treatment especially for […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Industry Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T18:08:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd\"},\"headline\":\"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T18:08:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581\"},\"wordCount\":773,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581\",\"name\":\"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House - American Industry Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T18:08:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg\",\"width\":1620,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 16: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. (Tom Williams\\\/CQ Roll Call)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=581#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Industry Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House - American Industry Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House - American Industry Review","og_description":"\u200bA bipartisan pair of\u00a0House members are introducing legislation aimed at treating\u00a0millions of Americans of a deadly-but-curable liver disease, the culmination of a yearslong push from public health advocates. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., would create a national hepatitis C elimination program to expand testing and treatment especially for […]","og_url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581","og_site_name":"American Industry Review","article_published_time":"2026-07-15T18:08:22+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd"},"headline":"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House","datePublished":"2026-07-15T18:08:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581"},"wordCount":773,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg","articleSection":["Policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581","url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581","name":"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House - American Industry Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-15T18:08:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/886a943599b9c239516ab77f13967579.jpg","width":1620,"height":1080,"caption":"UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 16: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. (Tom Williams\/CQ Roll Call)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=581#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bipartisan bill to eliminate hepatitis C unveiled in House"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/","name":"American Industry Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanindustryreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}