HIV Prevention Drugs Should Fall Free Under Most Insurance Plans
Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : July 31, 2021As per the new federal guidelines which were recently announced, insurance companies should cover most of the cost of HIV prevention Pill, PrEP, along with services associated with HIV, at zero cost, to patients. HIV prevention pulls Preexposure Prophylaxis which is also known as PrEP.
This action is being hailed by HIV Prevention Advocates as a life-changing move, to the national HIV prevention effort.
HIV Prevention Drugs Should Fall Free Under Most Insurance Plans
Carl Schmid known as the executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute said that PrEP is known to be a great prevention tool against HIV, meanwhile, there have been numerous barriers to break when it comes to the drug being accessible. Having such costs wiped out, later, in turn, shall be tremendously beneficial to prevent HIV in the United States. The HIV+ Hepatitis Policy Institue is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to promoting affordable and quality care to people living with the disease or those who are at risk of the diseases, HIV, Hepatitis, and other chronic health conditions.
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The New Guidelines-
Guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury were dispatched to Health Insurers during the mid of the Month of July. It stated that the insurers should not charge copays, coinsurance, or deductible payments for visits at the Clinic or any lab tests patients have to undergo in order to perpetuate a prescription for PrEP.
As of January 1st, 2021, the drug itself was required to be completely covered by Insurers and a big thanks go out to an A rating by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which was granted in 2019. An “A” rating, under the Affordable Care Act, means the preventive treatment should be completely covered by the insurer at zero cost charged to the patient undergoing it.
In the US, most insured individuals, under the new guidelines, will be allowed to get free access to PrEP and all the other associated services. The insurers have been given 60 days to obey the latest guidelines.
A Little About PrEP-
You might ask, who should be taking the PrEP? PrEP is known to be a daily pill that reduces the risk of shrinking HIV, that has been due to sex, by 99% if taken as prescribed. As per the CDC, it is known to reduce the risk of lowering HIV through injection drug use, up by at least 74%.
The drug PrEP can be prescribed by a doctor, to a patient, for various reasons as per Dr. Antonia Urbina who is known to be a professor of medicine in the Icahn School of Medicine located at Mount Sanai. This drug is for individuals who contain a sexual partner, who has HIV, or one who has engaged in a sexual act without using a protective measure, with another individual who may be at an HIV risk.
An individual who contains any sexually transmitted disease or infection may also start to take the PrEP, as per Urbina. It is also recommended for individuals using injectable drugs who share equipment like needles and syringes.
PrEP is not reaching many Americans, despite its effectiveness at reducing the HIV risk, who can benefit from it. An analysis done in the year 2018, from the CDC, reported that 1.1 million individuals who are adults, in the United States are known to be at a high risk of HIV and should be prescribed PrEP. Meanwhile, only 78,360 PrEP orders were filed in commercial pharmacies, in the same year the study took place. Precautionary measures are also needed to be taken as the Delta variant takes over, currently.
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With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.