How to protect PrEP coverage, no matter what happens in Braidwood v. Becerra By Richard Hughes IVJune 5, 2023

https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/05/prep-coverage-braidwood-v-becerra-acip-preventive-services-taskforce/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=289053632&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-84o5RCn2jfyVHFNoRdOFYZ5tXahBAr0Gi69DvOBK_s-YSjUZQzdaZCw_07p1CwPAcNVMhjBLNXIhM6QlWafBeye6kfEQ&utm_content=289053632&utm_source=hs_email Legal challenges to PrEP coverage could have serious consequences, per study Despite the effectiveness of the oral HIV preventative medication PrEP (“pre-exposure prophylaxis” for long), the majority of adults in the U.S. who might benefit from it are not taking it. While public and private insurance covers PrEP, out-of-pocket costs vary and are often cited as a barrier to accessing the medication. And it could get worse: last year, a federal district court judge struck down a mandate for no patient cost-sharing on preventive services like PrEP with high ratings from the U.S. Preventative Task Force. The federal government appealed the decision and a stay was issued, but experts remain concerned about access. Because of this concern, researchers calculated the potential percentages of patients who would stop taking PrEP if their out-of-pocket charges increased, using a national database of prescriptions from 2015-2019. 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 the study results published today in Health Affairs. But despite the potential damages of the legal battle ahead, “there is an opportunity to ensure payer coverage of PrEP is maintained and even improved,” wrote lawyer Richard Hughes IV in a First Opinion last summer. Read more on his proposal, and listen to his conversation with editor Torie Bosch. Listen: How to save PrEP access — and even expand it Torie Bosch By Torie Bosch June 21, 2023 https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/21/prep-hiv-expand-access-interview/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=289053632&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ufIntN7c61irK8vK25xUyjRSM2VDRFH4YcmxSGnPm1SyLTtPKkZZ16ZyTYgRRcCab-2jlMEkAP98ya-_VeKFgl5sdBw&utm_content=289053632&utm_source=hs_email This HIV prevention medicine is for everyone. Why do so few people take it? By Kathryn MacapagalJan. 20, 2022 https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/20/this-hiv-prevention-medicine-is-for-everyone-why-do-so-few-people-take-it/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=289053632&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9fzKD8pUJGn-Rn1vT7Uw-DiRV59Kv721nTSkAdQwaGHnuGAQCc2xgCrTpv4MEWhPW-Ct6uNWkcIfs3qkKMEUbs8WO0NQ&utm_content=289053632&utm_source=hs_email