"If it is determined a patient tests positive for hepatitis C, he or she would then be offered follow-up health care," said Baker. "Treatment today can vastly improve a person's quality of life and result in better health outcomes, including being cured of the disease."
Baker noted that actively screening for hepatitis C, as opposed to waiting for symptoms and more serious diseases to arise from having the disease, will also result in major cost savings for taxpayers. In fact, the estimated medical costs associated with treating Baby Boomers with hepatitis C, many of whom will age into the Medicare system at age 65, will rise from $30 billion in 2009 to $85 billion annually by 2024.
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