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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Unless you or someone you know has a bleeding disorder, you might not realize just how challenging it can be to receive appropriate care. Hemophilia patients must have access to lifelong treatments and medications necessary to control the condition. Such treatments can easily cost $300,000 per year and can surpass $1 million if complications occur!
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It’s important to note that bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia, impact a significant amount of Pennsylvania’s population. More than 3,000 people living with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders reside in Pennsylvania. In 1974, Pennsylvania became one of the first states in the U.S. to establish state support for hemophilia. Our residents with bleeding disorders heavily depend upon Pennsylvania’s seven Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTC) – which are regularly recognized on a national level for their excellence – to provide comprehensive care.
The members of Eastern and Western Pennsylvania Chapters of the National Hemophilia Foundation rely on critical funding from the Commonwealth to provide treatment and support. Every dollar of our funding goes directly to patient care, ensuring patients receive appropriate treatments and medications in order to live their life to the fullest. If these patients could not receive this care, it’s estimated that Pennsylvania would incur approximately five times more costs due to emergency care or care via Medicaid, and lost tax revenue from patients too sick to work.
According to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), patients who receive care at a HTC reduce their risk of mortality and medical complications by 40 percent. Moreover, the overall costs of care are reduced. Patients are able to enjoy a greater quality of life, remain gainfully employed and contribute to the community in ways they could not if they lacked the necessary care for their bleeding disorders.
Simply put, the Hemophilia line item saves Pennsylvania lives and saves Pennsylvania money!
We understand our legislators will again be tasked with balancing Pennsylvania’s budget which may require making cuts; however, funding for the Hemophilia Program must be maintained as its own line item. This program has a 40-year track record of success that has proven to be a smart investment for the Commonwealth. We urge our legislators to maintain funding for the hemophilia line item at its current level to ensure we continue to provide support and medical care for the more than 3,000 Pennsylvanians whose lives depend on it!
By: Alison R. Yazer, Executive Director of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation and Curt Krouse, Executive Director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation.
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