The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has announced an increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates for Bicillin L-A, a crucial medication for treating syphilis and preventing congenital syphilis, effective February 1, 2024.
This adjustment, the first since 2015, aims to enhance treatment accessibility by enabling providers to offer care directly in their offices, addressing the urgent need highlighted by 2023 data where only 32% of symptomatic women received same-day treatment.
This move is part of a broader strategy by NCDHHS to tackle the significant rise in syphilis cases, including a nine-fold increase in syphilis among women and a 72-fold rise in congenital syphilis infections from 2012 to 2023.
“Congenital syphilis is a completely preventable infection with devastating consequences,” said NCDHHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson in a press release. “Cases are the highest they have been in 20 years. It will take a data-driven and collaborative effort to reverse this trend and ensure people are getting the care they need.”
Efforts also include standardizing syphilis screening for pregnant women in collaboration with southeastern states, enhancing provider resources, and initiating a public awareness campaign.
With over half of North Carolina’s births to Medicaid-eligible women, this policy change is a critical step in combating the syphilis health crisis.