Legal Challenges to PrEP Coverage Could Have Serious Consequences, Per Study

While public and private insurance cover the oral HIV preventative medication PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), out-of-pocket costs vary and are often cited as a barrier to accessing the medication.

Researchers calculated the potential percentages of patients who would stop taking PrEP if their out-of-pocket charges increased. They estimated that with no out-of-pocket costs, about 5.5% of people wouldn’t pick up a new prescription. That rate doubled when the monthly cost rose to $10, and with costs of more than $500, they estimated that almost half of people would not take the prescription, according to study results published in Health Affairs. Read more from STAT News here.