Hochul signs law requiring insurance coverage for PrEP and PEP

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation (S.688/A.807) requiring insurance companies to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to help prevent against HIV infection.

The new law requires any insurance policy that provides coverage for prescription drugs to include coverage for the cost of PrEP and PEP. The governor”™s office issued a statement noting that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control cited PrEP”™s effectiveness in reducing to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people at high risk of contracting HIV by up to 92% when taken consistently. New York State has the highest PrEP coverage in the nation and has more people receiving it than almost any other jurisdiction.

PEP regimens are antiretroviral drugs designed to stop the spread of HIV after a single high-risk event. PEP can be used to treat health care workers who have been exposed to the blood or bodily fluids of HIV-positive patients, as well as people who have been exposed to HIV through unprotected sex, needle sharing or sexual assault.

“New York was once the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and we have a moral obligation to keep up the fight to end the epidemic once and for all,” Hochul said. “PrEP and PEP are critical tools that help prevent new HIV infections and every eligible New Yorker should have access to these vital medications.”