"Speaking of Vitiligo..."

This week I had the privilege of visiting the Massachusetts State House for an indoor rally hosted by VITFriends, a non-profit vitiligo patient advocacy group whose focus is to bring the vitiligo community together and raise awareness about vitiligo. I met with many members of the community, and we were joined by State Representative Rob Consalvo to talk about advances in vitiligo. After hearing personal stories from many individuals and having the chance to speak myself, I was ecstatic to hear that Representative Consalvo has submitted state Bill H.976. This bill would require insurance to cover vitiligo treatments for individuals who seek it, making dermatology visits and treatments far more accessible to all. The bill is currently being reviewed and will most likely go up for vote in the Fall. If passed, it will be used as a template to propose similar bills nationwide!

With the direct cost spent in the United States on skin disease treatment amounting to over 26 billion dollars annually, a bill like this would help greatly reduce the financial burden of vitiligo treatment while simultaneously increasing accessibility of care for individuals who wish to seek treatment. Currently, several vitiligo treatments are not covered by insurance and can be rather expensive, resulting in patients not pursuing recommended treatment options despite their desire to do so. I’m extremely excited and hopeful for this bill and the positive effects it can have on the vitiligo community nationwide. This will also help to reduce disparities that present from treatment costs limiting who can access them. I look forward to keeping everyone updated on its progress!