Hemophilia Advocates Say Surcharge Would Prevent Potential Medical Conflicts of Interest
Under proposed bill, doctors and treatment centers would never have to choose between profit and best treatment.
In a bid to fund four of New Jersey's hemophilia treatment centers, a proposed bill would add a surcharge on medicine used to treat the potentially deadly disorder, which greatly reduces the blood's ability to clot. The bill (A-2180) has advocates and drugmakers squaring off on either side of the issue. The Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee released the measure late last week The proposal, which is supported by the Hemophilia Association of New Jersey, would require drugmakers to pay a 6 percent surcharge on hemophilia medicine. Homecare providers would pay 2 percent. Although the bill calls the payment a "rebate," it would be paid to the association and centers rather than to patients. The premium would be used by the advocacy…
