The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) is launching the third year of the Hepatitis C Medicaid Affinity Group (Affinity Group). This year Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin will work to improve hepatitis C virus (HCV) outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries as part of the Affinity Group. Participating state teams from Medicaid, public health, behavioral, and correctional health agencies will work collaboratively and with colleagues across the county to learn about and share innovative strategies to improve HCV cure.

For its third year, the Affinity Group will support participating states in developing and implementing custom strategies for each state, including those related to hepatitis C screening and treatment in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment sites if the state chooses this emphasis.

Medicaid Affinity Group Year 3 Thumbnail

Year 1 State Participants: *Indiana, *Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York State, Vermont, and *Washington, and *Wisconsin
Year 2 State Participants: Alaska, District of Columbia, *Indiana, Los Angeles County, *Michigan, Tennessee, and *Wisconsin
Year 3 Participants: Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, *Kentucky, *Michigan, New Hampshire, *Washington, West Virginia, and *Wisconsin
*Multi-Year Participants

Participation in the Affinity Group is voluntary and the Affinity Group provides support for coordination activities. Each state that participates in the Affinity Group will:

  • Develop and implement state-identified strategies to treat and cure an increased number and percentage of individuals diagnosed with HCV (for examples from the previous groups, see State Activities);
  • Participate in two Affinity Group sponsored in-person convenings and monthly virtual meetings with Medicaid, public health, behavioral health, and corrections agency staff/leadership from participating states, subject matter experts, and federal partners (see Affinity Group Presentations);
  • Build relationships across state Medicaid, public health, behavioral health, and corrections agencies to improve outcomes for individuals in/leaving correctional facilities and/or who inject drugs, who disproportionately have HCV;
  • Build relationships and collaborate with participating federal partners, including OIDP, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA);
  • Have access to one-on-one and group technical assistance to support efforts to improve HCV-related outcomes, build stronger collaborative relationships, and learn and share best practices in improving outcomes and reducing costs; and
  • Provide feedback and share sample documents and processes to support other participating states in implementing HCV-related strategies (see Medicaid HCV Resources).

For more information about Medicaid Prevention Initiatives and Affinity Groups, please visit https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/prevention/index.html. If you have questions about the Hepatitis C Medicaid Affinity Group, contact Corinna Dan, RN, MPH at Corinna.Dan@hhs.gov.

The Hepatitis C Medicaid Affinity Group is a collaboration between OIDP, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).