CDC guidance: Insurers must cover HIV prevention treatment costs

Nearly all health insurers must cover the entire cost of HIV prevention treatments, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service and the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury, said in guidance issued this week.

That includes Gilead's two approved pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs Truvada and Descovy, all clinic visits and lab tests, NBC News reported.

Insurers, which were required to stop charging out-of-pocket fees for PrEP as of Jan. 1, have 60 days to comply with the latest rules, according to the report.

Aurobindo, Lupin and Teva all have introduced generics of Truvada.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force granted PrEP an "A" rating in 2019. Under the Affordable Care Act, that means the preventive treatment must be covered by almost all insurers at no cost to the patient.

HIV prevention advocates, including the AIDS Foundation Chicago, and HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute commented on the new guidance.

"While we need state Medicaid authorities and departments of insurance to follow through on implementation, this memo from the federal government literally made me jump for joy," Jim Pickett, senior director of prevention advocacy and gay men's health at AIDS Foundation Chicago, told NBC News. "This has the potential to wipe out many of the access obstacles we face with PrEP provision. I look forward to radical improvements in PrEP access, particularly for the communities who are most vulnerable to HIV."

"We are pleased that the federal government has issued this long-awaited guidance to insurers that will reduce barriers to PrEP and help prevent further HIV infections while advancing efforts to end HIV in the United States,” commented Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. “It seems that insurers responded to our earlier analysis. However, now we must ensure all are fully complying with their legal requirements, including those spelled out in the new guidance, and federal and state regulators enforce them.”