Federal program makes hepatitis C treatment free for uninsured, incarcerated, and low-income America

What it does

This bill establishes a federal program to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States by funding treatment access, screening, and prevention activities. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will negotiate bulk purchases of hepatitis C drugs from manufacturers under a 5-year subscription model, then distribute them free to uninsured individuals, Medicaid/CHIP enrollees, incarcerated people, and Native Americans. The bill also funds state and local public health efforts, provider training, and eliminates cost-sharing for hepatitis C drugs under Medicare Part D starting in 2027.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a federal subscription program to purchase and distribute hepatitis C drugs free to vulnerable populations, funded by direct appropriation. It is a public health intervention, not a regulatory change or market manipulation.

What the text implies

• The subscription model excludes manufacturers from Medicaid best-price and average manufacturer price calculations, potentially allowing higher prices to private payers outside the program—a trade-off to secure lower bulk prices for the federal program.
• Correctional facilities must provide continued treatment to individuals released mid-course, creating ongoing obligations for state/local systems that may strain budgets if they opt in.
• The bill conditions eligibility on citizenship or specific immigration statuses, excluding undocumented immigrants and some visa holders even if they have hepatitis C—a narrower public benefit than universal access.
• Medicare cost-sharing elimination (2027–2031) is time-limited; beneficiaries may face cost-sharing again after 2031 unless Congress extends it.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Hepatitis C is a curable viral infection; this bill removes financial barriers to treatment for vulnerable populations (uninsured, incarcerated, low-income, Native Americans) and Medicare beneficiaries. The subscription model aims to reduce drug costs through bulk negotiation, and the program covers all direct-acting antivirals without cost-sharing. The primary beneficiaries are citizens with hepatitis C who would otherwise face high out-of-pocket costs or no access.

Who stands to gain

• hepatitis C drug manufacturers (bulk purchase contracts, subscription model revenue)
• registered pharmacies and sites of dispensing (dispensing fees)
• state and local health departments (grant funding for screening and outreach)
• community health centers (grant funding for testing and treatment capacity)
• opioid treatment programs and behavioral health clinics (grant funding)

Named in the bill

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Indian Health Service, Bureau of Prisons, State Medicaid and CHIP programs, State and local correctional systems, Hepatitis C drug manufacturers, Registered pharmacies and sites of dispensing, Community health centers, Ryan White clinics

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Jun 4, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 4, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

6 lobbying clients named this bill on 8 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,441,409 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 82% of bills with at least one filing.

Bill Cassidy, the sponsor, reported $1,252,754 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners — $950,000 on 2 filings
• Dh Diagnostics, LLC — $220,000 on 1 filing
• American Assn for the Study of Liver Diseases — $100,000 on 2 filings
• Public Citizen — $99,577 on 1 filing
• University of Iowa — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.