Hep B Blog

Tag Archives: Affordable Care Act

Know Your Rights: Legal Protections for Those Living With Hepatitis B

Despite being the world’s most common liver infection, hepatitis B remains stigmatized and those living with it can still face discrimination from various sources. Each year, the Hepatitis B Foundation answers numerous calls from around the world from people who have faced school, workplace, and travel challenges due to their hepatitis B status. These challenges are typically rooted in misinformation, outdated laws or guidelines, stigma, and an overall lack of awareness. However, there are laws and organizations who will work to protect you from such discrimination!

The Hepatitis B Foundation has added a new section to our website that focuses on the rights of people living with hepatitis B. We’ve compiled information on common barriers that those living with hepatitis B may face while applying to schools, jobs, or accessing affordable medicine. Each of the below sections provides information on discriminatory practices, what you can do if you experience discrimination, and how the Hepatitis B Foundation is working to fight discrimination.

In the United States, all forms of hepatitis B related discrimination are illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Both laws include provisions that protect people living with chronic conditions. Unfortunately, some forms of discrimination are still legal in certain countries, but steps can sometimes be taken to appeal to immigration policies in these areas. Local organizations can also help those living in foreign countries to navigate complex laws or policies regarding those living with hepatitis B. Many of these organizations can be found through the World Hepatitis Alliance’s member list. Join them and add your voice to eliminate hepatitis B discrimination in your country.

Specific protections, resources, and ways to combat legal discrimination can be found in the Know Your Rights section of our website! If you are faced with discrimination due to hepatitis B, it is important to know your rights and to have information to support your case. Use the information on our site to help advocate for yourself, join with others, or contact the Hepatitis B Foundation at info@hepb.org if you need additional assistance.

Beating the Odds: A Liver Cancer Survivor’s Story

Liver cancer, caused by hepatitis B and C, is on the rise in the U.S. and it is also the second deadliest. Fewer than 15 percent of patients with liver cancer will survive five years after their diagnosis. It is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths among Asian-Americans and the eighth-leading cause of cancer deaths among Caucasian-Americans.

Despite this bleak outlook, there are people with liver cancer who are beating the odds and surviving. The medical community is also working hard to develop new drugs and effective strategies to treat liver cancer. Here is one survivor’s story.

By Frank Gardea

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In late 2008, during routine testing before surgery, I found out I had hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis. It was a double whammy because having both viral hepatitis and cirrhosis put me at high risk for liver cancer.

Then the abdominal pain started. I suffered for almost three years and was in and out of the emergency department. They could not pinpoint the cause of the pain. When they finally diagnosed my liver cancer, the tumor was over 8 cm in size. Continue reading "Beating the Odds: A Liver Cancer Survivor’s Story"

Help Stop Insurers from Over-Charging Patients for Hepatitis B Drugs on the Healthcare Marketplace

Image courtesy of Taoty at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Taoty at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Christine Kukka

Blog reviewed and deemed accurate Jan. 2023.

For years, people with pre-existing conditions like chronic hepatitis B struggled to get health insurance. News stories and Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko highlighted insurance companies’ refusal to cover pre-existing conditions and their practice of inflating premium prices if consumers had chronic health problems.

Outraged by industry efforts to cover only low-cost, “healthy” consumers, lawmakers banned discrimination  against pre-existing conditions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA – Obamacare). The ACA’s Healthcare Marketplace website promises, “Your insurance company can’t turn you down or charge you more because of your pre-existing health or medical condition like asthma, back pain, diabetes, or cancer.”

While health plans sold on the marketplace can’t openly refuse to insure people with pre-existing conditions, some have devised an insidious way to discourage people with hepatitis B from buying their policies. They have dramatically increased the copays consumers pay out-of-pocket for the two leading hepatitis B antiviral drugs (Viread and generic entecavir) to deliberately make their health plans unaffordable for people with chronic hepatitis B. Continue reading "Help Stop Insurers from Over-Charging Patients for Hepatitis B Drugs on the Healthcare Marketplace"

Shop Carefully for the Best Insurance Plan When You Have Hepatitis B

Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With the cost of health care and prescription drugs soaring, it’s important to choose health insurance carefully when you take hepatitis B medications and need frequent check-ups and lab tests.

In the next two months, Medicare recipients, people who get insurance through their jobs and consumers buying coverage through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will be selecting insurance plans during open enrollment.

If you take antivirals or interferon and have frequent lab tests and doctor visits, it’s important that you select the plan that:

  • Has your specialist or primary care doctor and lab in its network,
  • And offers the lowest copay for the drugs you need.

Continue reading "Shop Carefully for the Best Insurance Plan When You Have Hepatitis B"