The Trump administration Tuesday unveiled a plan to distribute HIV prevention medication free to individuals who do not have prescription drug insurance coverage.
Called “Ready, Set, PrEP,” the federal program will provide patients at risk of contracting HIV one of the two pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs. Those medications can reduce the chances of getting HIV through sex by more than 90%.
The medications, Truvada and Descovy, are made possible in part by a donation from the drugs’ manufacturer, Gilead Sciences. That would cover the drugs for up to 200,000 uninsured individuals each year for the next 11 years. The federal government, however, is paying the drugmaker for several months to distribute the medications.
Without insurance, a 30-day supply of the drugs runs between $1,600 and $2,000.
The initiative is part of President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce the number of new HIV infections by 90% in 10 years.
If you are interested in signing up for the program, here’s what you need to know:
How much will this cost me?
The medication will cost the patient nothing.
However, patients are required to undergo blood tests every three months. “Ready, Set, PrEP” will not cover the costs of these tests or clinic visits.
To access low or no-cost treatment, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, patients can seek care at community health centers.
Dr. Kenneth Mayer, the medical research director at Fenway Health in Boston, a community health center, said the program is a step forward in improving access to the medication for many people. However, he said, the lab tests and clinic visits can cost thousands of dollars per year. While Mayer considers the administration’s reliance on community health centers a “very positive thing,” finding affordable follow-up services requires the patient to know where to look.
“People can pull together various resources and get the costs covered,” Mayer said, “but it’s knowing how to access those programs and services.”