New York City will purchase millions of dollars of medical debt and then erase it in effort to help as many as 500,000 residents, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday.

The program involves partnering with a nonprofit organization, RIP Medical Debt, that buys unpaid medical debt from hospitals at a steep discount and then clears it. The city will invest $18 million to relieve more than $2 billion in medical debt for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, Adams said.

Affected New Yorkers will be notified that their medical debt has been relieved, as there is no application process for the one-time debt relief program, which will launch early this year and run for three years.

“No one chooses to go into medical debt — if you’re sick or injured, you need to seek care. But no New Yorker should have to choose between paying rent or for other essentials and paying off their medical debt,” Adams said in a statement.

The program is aimed at New Yorkers whose unpaid medical bills are at least 5% of their annual household income or those in households with an income under four times the federal poverty line, which is $31,200 for a family of four.

Medical debt is the single-largest cause of bankruptcy in the United States, and disproportionately affects low-income Americans and those without health insurance or who are underinsured.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul in December signed legislation that bars health care professionals and ambulances from reporting medical debt to credit agencies.

A New York charity started in 2014, RIP Medical has abolished more than $10.4 billion in medical debt for more than 7 million people since its inception, according to its website.

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https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/

October is Liver Awareness Month and a great time to talk about hepatitis A vaccination with your doctor or pharmacist. Since 2017, substantial increases in hepatitis A have occurred, with nearly 40,000 cases reported. While people who use drugs, people experiencing homelessness, and men who have sex with men are most often at risk, nearly one third of people with hepatitis A have no identified risk factor.
Hepatitis A patient Stan was 66 years old and in the best shape of his life, having just completed a half-marathon, when he contracted hepatitis A and his life was changed. He believes he contracted the virus through food at a restaurant. His symptoms began as mild and sporadic and felt like the flu, but as his symptoms of nausea continued he was rushed to the ER and told that his liver was failing. Stan underwent a liver transplant and fortunately is doing well today, but regrets not knowing that vaccination for hepatitis A is available.
85% adults in the US have not been vaccinated for Hepatitis A; creating opportunities for infection, as it can be transmitted person-to-person or through contaminated food or drink.
Foodborne outbreaks of the virus can occur when someone eats fresh and frozen food products that are contaminated with Hepatitis A. It can be transmitted where food is prepared and served by food handlers who may be infected with the virus.
Stories from real people affected by hepatitis A remind us why everyone, not just high-risk groups or travelers, should discuss vaccination with their healthcare provider.
On Thursday, September 30th , Stan and Dr. Leah Smith, Pharmacist and Vaccine Educator at GSK discuss the virus, vaccination and share a personal perspective on the impact of the illness.
Interview is courtesy: GSK

#hepatitis #transmission #liver #hospital #sick #awareness #leah #smith #stan #vaccine #pharmacist #gsk #virus #illness #impact #drugs #homelessness #symptoms #nausea #cdc

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CURRENT OUTBREAK:
UNDERSTAND YOUR RISK FOR HEPATITIS A
AN INFECTIOUS LIVER DISEASE

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PREVENTABLE DISEASE – FROM SYMPTOMS TO RISK FACTORS – AND THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION

Dr. Len Friedland, practicing physician, vaccine researcher and Vice President and Director, Scientific Affairs and Public Health, Vaccines, GSK

BACKGROUND:
October is National Liver Awareness Month, an important time to learn about vaccine-preventable forms of viral hepatitis, including Hepatitis A, a highly-infectious virus that affects the liver and can lead to sickness, hospitalization and even death, in some cases.[i] The US is currently experiencing a nationwide Hepatitis A outbreak, yet awareness and vaccination among adults remains shockingly low (~15%).[ii] After a consistent 20-year downward trend in cases, in 2017, Hepatitis A cases spiked nationwide, with 27 states experiencing active outbreaks in 2020. During this time, there have been more than 34,000 reported cases, with over 61% of infected people hospitalized, and 333 deaths, making it the largest person-to-person Hepatitis A virus outbreak in the postvaccine era.[iii]^,[iv]

DID YOU KNOW?

• Anyone who isn’t vaccinated can be at risk for Hepatitis A as it can be spread person-to-person or through contaminated food or drink.¹
• People with Hepatitis A may not know that they are infected and can transmit the disease to others.¹
• Most people in the US have not been vaccinated for Hepatitis A; creating opportunities for infection and spread. Additionally, more than half of older adults have never heard of or are unfamiliar with a vaccine for Hepatitis A (56%).[v]
• Hepatitis A vaccination isn’t only for higher risk groups or people traveling to certain parts of the world. The general public can come into contact with the virus when traveling even within the US and through contaminated food. For example, where food is prepared and served by food handlers infected with the Hepatitis A virus.¹
• The CDC advises that anyone who wishes to be protected against Hepatitis A speak to their doctor or pharmacist about vaccination. Most commercial plans are required to cover vaccines recommended by the CDC and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Raising awareness about Hepatitis A and vaccination is more important than ever.

• Immunization rates for most vaccines across all age groups have dropped significantly during COVID-19 and adult vaccination rates have dropped by over 80 percent since the peak of the pandemic.[vi] Everyone, not just those at high risk, can talk to their doctor or pharmacist about all vaccine-preventable forms of viral hepatitis and other CDC-recommended vaccines that may be needed during their next well visit. It is important to stay up-to-date on recommended vaccines to prevent unnecessary sickness and hospitalization, especially during the pandemic.[vii]
• For more information, visit CDC.gov/hepatitis/hav.

Good News Planet Hepatitis Q&A

1. If someone has fatty liver, is it even more important to get the vaccination for hepatitis A and hepatitis B?

When living with fatty liver disease, it’s important to prevent any additional sources of potential liver damage. The US Centers for Disease Control and prevention recommends hepatitis A and B vaccination for people living with chronic liver diseases, including fatty liver disease and hepatitis C.¹

1. What is the difference between Hepatitis A and B and how do you recognize it? Is there a different treatment?

Hepatitis A and B are both viruses that affect the liver, and can cause serious illness or even death, but are transmitted in different ways and can cause a different course of illness.¹ Hepatitis A is highly infectious, and is transmitted through person-to-person contact or contaminated food/drink, and usually causes a short-term illness.¹ Hepatitis B is transmitted from mother to child during birth, blood, or through sexual contact, and can cause short or long-term illness, depending on the age of someone when they contract it.[viii] In the current outbreak, Hepatitis A has been associated with a high rate of hospitalization (nationally 60% of cases), with treatment mainly administered to combat unpleasant symptoms.^1,4 Short-term treatment of hepatitis B may be similar, but long-term hepatitis B infections may require ongoing antiviral treatment to manage the virus and prevent liver damage.[ix]

1. Can you get both [Hep A and B] vaccinations the same day and who gives this vaccination?

Hepatitis A and B vaccinations can be administered by a physician or pharmacist and can be given at the same time. The hepatitis A vaccine is a 2-dose vaccine series, for children 1 year of age and older, and adults, that can be completed in 6 months.[x] The hepatitis B vaccine is available in a 2-dose series for adults 18 years of age and older, which can be completed in 1 month, or a 3-dose series for all ages, which can be completed in 6 months.[xi] There is also a hepatitis A and B combination vaccine series available for adults 18 years of age and older, to provide protection against both viruses. While routine infant vaccination has been recommended for hepatitis A since 2006, and hepatitis B since 1991, most adults in the US are not protected against these viruses.[xii]^,[xiii] Nationally, only about 20% of adults 18 years of age and older have received even 1 dose of the hepatitis A vaccine and only about 25% of adults 19 years of age and older have completed the hepatitis B vaccine series.[xiv]^,[xv]

2  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults

with chronic liver disease. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5805590/pdf/nihms934589.pdf.

3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis A Outbreaks in the United States. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/outbreaks/hepatitisaoutbreaks.htm.

4  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Widespread person-to-person outbreaks of hepatitis A across the United States. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/outbreaks/2017March-HepatitisA.htm.

5 GSK Survey by The Harris Poll. US Awareness Poll-Adults 50-79 years of age and PCPs 18 years. July-August 2020.

6 Medscape. Vaccine Rates for All Ages Drop Dramatically During COVID-19. Available at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/931913.

7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Guidance During a Pandemic. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pandemic-guidance/index.html.

8 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B Questions and Answers for the Public. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbv/bfaq.htm.

9 Mayo Clinic. Hepatitis B. Accessed at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-b/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20366821.

10 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis A VIS. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/hep-a.html#:~:text=Children%20need%202%20doses%20of,months%20after%20the%20first%20dose.

11 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/rr/rr6701a1.htm.

12 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis A Vaccination Coverage Among U.S. Children Aged 12–23 Months — Immunization Information System Sentinel Sites, 2006—2009. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5925a3.htm?s_cid=mm5925a3_w.

13 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule — United States, 1995. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00038256.htm

14 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Coverage Among Adults in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2016. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/adultvaxview/pubs-resources/NHIS-2016.html.

15 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Coverage among Adults in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2017. Accessed at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/adultvaxview/pubs-resources/NHIS-2017.html.

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