OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiology of Hepatitis C (HCV) in the Louisiana Medicaid population. HCV is estimated to have infected 170 million people worldwide. In many countries, it is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and is the most common indication for liver transplantation. Progression and complications of the disease may lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV affects nearly 4 million people in the U.S. HCV causes an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 deaths annually in the U.S. Approximately 70% of these people develop chronic hepatitis and 20% progress to cirrhosis predisposing them to HCC. METHODS: This study is a retrospective secondary database claims analysis. Medicaid recipients were followed longitudinally for the years 1998, 1999, and 2000, which consequently constitute the study period for this research. Recipients were included in one of two groups based on their diagnosis: Infected (having HCV) and at-risk (having a diagnosis of hemophilia, cocaine addiction, drug abuse, cirrhosis, hepatitis B, and HIV or received hemodialysis). Only recipients who were continuously eligible throughout the three-year study period were included in the study. RESULTS: The prevalence of HCV in the LA Medicaid population during the study period was 7.08 per 1000. Among the at-risk population, the recipients with a diagnosis hemophilia or drug abuse had the highest prevalence. There were 18,286 recipients in the at-risk group while 2,128 recipients were classified in the infected group. The infected group consisted of 1151 females (54%) and racial breakdown showed that 1183 (55%) African Americans had HCV. Similar results were obtained when at-risk groups were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Most frequently occurring comorbidities in the infected population, were asthma, chest pain, urinary tract infection and bronchitis. About 30 % of the recipients in the at-risk group had been tested for HCV.