New way for states to cover pricey gene therapies will start with sickle cell disease

Hajar Tyler, 14, gets a routine blood transfusion at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in March. Hajar has sickle cell disease, a rare hereditary blood disorder for which the FDA recently approved two gene therapy treatments. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched a pilot program to help state Medicaid agencies pay for these expensive treatments. Courtesy of…