N.J. state senator calls out organizations opposed to Hepatitis C screening legislation
New Jersey’s Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee has approved legislation requiring hospitals and physicians to screen patients born between 1945 and 1965 for Hepatitis C. It was a bill both the New Jersey Hospital Association and the Medical Society of New Jersey opposed, and committee chairman State Sen. Joseph Vitale said the organizations “ought to be ashamed of themselves,” according to a report from NJ.com.
As the story explains, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established guidelines recommending such screenings because Hepatitis C could lead to liver disease, cancer, or cirrhosis.
The New Jersey Hospital Association opposed the bill, saying such testing should be kept in doctors’ offices, but did agree that the testing is important. The Medical Society of New Jersey said the bill “opposes unfunded mandates.”
Click below to read the full story from NJ.com: