Hep C Commercial on TV

[eytonxav]

My PCP has never done a screening on me for Hep C. I am noticing that the TV commercial indicates all baby boomers should be screened, and that seems to be confirmed by the CDC.

I am wondering how many have been tested and whether my PCP is remiss in not testing me.

Who Should Get Tested for Hepatitis C?

 

[MRG]

I had to ask for the screening as did DW. Remember docs don't watch TV drug ads.

We had no real risk factors but... too many people I know died from Hep C. Another co-w*rker found out she had it and was successfully treated. I'm guessing another friend of a friend did to.

 

[aja8888]

My PCP has never done a screening on me for Hep C. I am noticing that the TV commercial indicates all baby boomers should be screened, and that seems to be confirmed by the CDC.

I am wondering how many have been tested and whether my PCP is remiss in not testing me.

Who Should Get Tested for Hepatitis C?

I have never been screened and looking at the list of possible things that could make me eligible, I don't see any. I think this advertising may just be a way to get expensive test done and "feed the health care money machine".

Now, if you are a candidate, get screened. Otherwise, save your money for other things!

 

[JoeWras]

I'm not suggesting you go out and donate blood to find out if you suspect you have Hep C. However, if you have no reason to suspect it, go ahead and donate blood. They need new donors. But if years ago you shot drugs, got dirty tattoos, or had needle sticks, get checked right away instead without donating.

Part of the process of blood donation is a hep C test. You will be notified if you are positive. (And also for a group of other infectious diseases.)

I think the CDC is suggesting the baby boomer thing simply because many people can't remember what they did, or had did to them (maybe a transfusion during a minor operation long ago). They are covering their bases for people who lived during a time when they couldn't test for C. It was called Non-A, Non-B back then and unfortunately the blood supply was very dirty. This was pre-mid 80s.

 

[Freedom56]

My PCP has never done a screening on me for Hep C. I am noticing that the TV commercial indicates all baby boomers should be screened, and that seems to be confirmed by the CDC.

I am wondering how many have been tested and whether my PCP is remiss in not testing me.

Who Should Get Tested for Hepatitis C?

Under the ACA, HEP-C screening is covered without any co-pay for patients born between 1945–1965. You should have your doctor take care of this during your next check-up.

The TV commercials are probably for Harvoni which they are now charging $94,500 for a 12 week treatment.

 

[athena53]

I'm not suggesting you go out and donate blood to find out if you suspect you have Hep C. However, if you have no reason to suspect it, go ahead and donate blood. They need new donors. But if years ago you shot drugs, got dirty tattoos, or had needle sticks, get checked right away instead without donating.

Part of the process of blood donation is a hep C test. You will be notified if you are positive. (And also for a group of other infectious diseases.)

I agree that giving blood to see if you have Hep C is a Very Bad Thing if you suspect you might be at risk, but as regular donor, it's been reassuring that they cheerfully accept my blood month after month, or at least they did till I got benched for 12 months following a recent trip to India. In my case, I was a gleeful participant in the Sexual Revolution in the 1970s and they probably started testing my blood for Hep C even before I was aware that that was a risk factor; they've been testing donated blood since 1992.

 

[JoeWras]

I agree that giving blood to see if you have Hep C is a Very Bad Thing if you suspect you might be at risk, but as regular donor, it's been reassuring that they cheerfully accept my blood month after month, or at least they did till I got benched for 12 months following a recent trip to India. In my case, I was a gleeful participant in the Sexual Revolution in the 1970s and they probably started testing my blood for Hep C even before I was aware that that was a risk factor; they've been testing donated blood since 1992.

Yeah, agree. Donating blood gives you a mini-physical of sorts. They test for quite a few things not always mentioned or obvious. I had a friend put on the 12 month bench for bad liver enzymes. He decided to donate after a serious drinking binge. That was years ago, he's been donating since, and drinking less. It was a wake up call.

I remember in the mid 80s the questions were pretty short. The hepatitis thing, which was C, but they didn't know it, was causing a lot of concern, along with HIV, for which they didn't have a test yet.

So they really ramped up the questions and added things like liver enzymes to help screen. Thankfully for all of us, the blood supply got incredibly much safer after '92 with the Hep C test. The HIV test was instituted a few years earlier, but the questions persist because of lag time.

 

[Dreamer]

My DH and I were both tested by our doctor when we became eligible for Medicare. She did not think that it would be positive, but wanted it checked to be sure. We were both good.

 

[eytonxav]

The only thing for me that made me think about this was being born between the years mentioned on that symptom list. I'll ask my PCP about it at my next visit.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife is a medical technologist, and Hep C testing wasn't even started until something like 1992. The medical world just figured out it existed.
A large percentage of untreated Hep C patients end up dying of cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. In some ways, it is worse than coming down with HIV.
At my age, I am not worried about Hep C.

 

[Yarnstormer]

I have a friend that had hep C - it was successfully treated. He also donated blood at work for years. He firmly believes he had the hep c all along - so I’m not sure the screening tests work! He had engaged in some risky stuff when he was in his 20s. But he is also a head in the sand kinda guy, so maybe he was told to get tested and ignored it.

 

[John Galt III]

My PCP always asks if I want flu shot, shingles vaccine, etc at the annual physical. A few years ago he asked if I wanted the hep-c blood test. I said OK. I was worried that my insurance would not cover it (even though they said they would). Insurance covered it, and the results were negative ( I don't have hep-c). Yay !

 

[JoeWras]

I have a friend that had hep C - it was successfully treated. He also donated blood at work for years. He firmly believes he had the hep c all along - so I’m not sure the screening tests work! He had engaged in some risky stuff when he was in his 20s. But he is also a head in the sand kinda guy, so maybe he was told to get tested and ignored it.

After '92? Now that's disturbing! They check for it! If anything, there are too many false positives. You can read about this situation here: https://www.hepmag.com/article/false-test-result-25760-476718382


The 100 or so questions one is asked when donating blood help gauge the risk, and are especially important for that "lag time" I was talking about where the blood may be infected but not reliably testable during a window of time. If he donated multiple times and nothing was found, that's disturbing. Something strange here, and probably not the full story.

 

[travelover]

Just started Medicare and my new doc asked for me to be screened. Fortunately the test came back negative. The drugs are ungodly expensive, so I imagine the drug companies are pushing testing.

 

[Freedom56]

Just started Medicare and my new doc asked for me to be screened. Fortunately the test came back negative. The drugs are ungodly expensive, so I imagine the drug companies are pushing testing.

Of course the drug companies are pushing the testing. That's why the test is free. My doctor told me that he was going to test me for HEP-C and the test was free. He joked that the treatment cost was enough to travel the globe several times over in a private jet. I told him that if my results were positive, I would leave the country in a private jet and seek treatment overseas in a place where I would receive daily pampering for 12 weeks and still come out ahead. Alas my results were negative. We are at a point where it's cheaper to fly to Canada first class to buy prescription drugs than pay the outrageous prices in this country.

 

[Sunset]

I asked my doc a couple of years ago about being tested, and he said the test was expensive and not covered by HMO, and to go donate blood.



But from what folks are saying here, it should be covered. Could the doc be increasing his $$ by not getting me tested otherwise why deny ?

 

[athena53]

I asked my doc a couple of years ago about being tested, and he said the test was expensive and not covered by HMO, and to go donate blood.

Ack! Blood banks specifically ask that you NOT donate blood just to see if you're HIV-positive. I'm sure they feel the same way about Hep C, especially if you're at risk for it.

 

[brett]

We keep our hep vaccinations up to date. Spouse is a nurse, we have always traveled internationally.

We have a good friend who is suffering greatly from Hep c. Not pleasant to watch someone's life impacted so negatively. His treatments have only been somewhat successful.

Get tested, get the vaccination, and keep them up to date.

 

[zinger1457]

I asked my doc a couple of years ago about being tested, and he said the test was expensive and not covered by HMO, and to go donate blood.
But from what folks are saying here, it should be covered. Could the doc be increasing his $$ by not getting me tested otherwise why deny ?

The cost for the Hep C test at my local lab isn't very expensive, $38 if you pay cash without insurance. It is free thru my BCBS ACA policy.

 

[zinger1457]

We keep our hep vaccinations up to date. Spouse is a nurse, we have always traveled internationally.

We have a good friend who is suffering greatly from Hep c. Not pleasant to watch someone's life impacted so negatively. His treatments have only been somewhat successful.

Get tested, get the vaccination, and keep them up to date.

Don't believe there's any vaccine yet for Hep C

 

[MRG]

Don't believe there's any vaccine yet for Hep C

+1

The gal I w*rked with that had the treatment said it was brutal. I remember she was out of w*rk for quite a time.

 

[Sunset]

Ack! Blood banks specifically ask that you NOT donate blood just to see if you're HIV-positive. I'm sure they feel the same way about Hep C, especially if you're at risk for it.

They must think their testing for the various diseases is less than 100% accurate, which is pretty scary.


Sort of like selling waterproof watches, but telling people not to get them wet.

 

[athena53]

They must think their testing for the various diseases is less than 100% accurate, which is pretty scary.

No- their reasoning on HIV is that it doesn't always show up immediately in a test. Besides, just about every medical test has its share of false negative results. Even if it's tiny, it can mean a significant number of infected units of blood over the whole donor population and the blood is going to people who are already medically vulnerable in one way or another. Not a good chance to take if you think you might be at risk for something.

 

[JoeWras]

No- their reasoning on HIV is that it doesn't always show up immediately in a test. Besides, just about every medical test has its share of false negative results. Even if it's tiny, it can mean a significant number of infected units of blood over the whole donor population and the blood is going to people who are already medically vulnerable in one way or another. Not a good chance to take if you think you might be at risk for something.

+1.


That said, if you don't have any reason to think you are at risk for Hep C, then donate blood. Save a life, maybe a few. The tests are just a bonus.