We are pleased that CVS Health has finally decided to cover this groundbreaking new PrEP medication. Four months ago, 63 HIV organizations joined us in sending a letter to CVS’s president urging them to reconsider their refusal to cover Yeztugo and reminding them of their legal obligation to cover PrEP and describe the important benefits the drug would bring to preventing HIV in the US. With this coverage decision, CVS joins other leading payers and PBMs in covering the new medication

For the sake of millions of patients who rely on copay assistance to afford their prescription drugs, it is long past time for the federal government to comply with the Court: either require insurers to comply with the current rule that allows copay assistance to count in most instances or issue a new cost-sharing rule. We know President Trump wants to lower how much Americans pay for their drugs, especially compared to other nations, and requiring copay assistance to count will lower patients’ costs and reduce profiteering by drug middlemen.

In a recent 6 to 3 decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the ACA requirement that insurers must cover USPSTF-recommended preventive services at no cost. Now we must focus on making sure insurers comply with and regulators enforce the law, particularly with new, long-acting forms of PrEP. This victory is all the more important now that the Trump administration is seeking to defund much of CDC’s HIV and hepatitis prevention programs.

We deeply thank Chairman Cassidy and Senator Van Hollen for their bipartisan leadership and dedication to eliminating hepatitis C. This bill, if enacted, will finally provide the necessary resources to ensure that more people are diagnosed and linked to no-cost treatment so that we can eventually eliminate hepatitis C.

The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, along with more than 75 organizations representing patients, providers, and public health advocates, is urging U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer to issue a promised federal rule that would close a harmful loophole that allows insurers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and third-party vendors to exploit patient copay assistance programs for financial gain.