HIV+Hep in the News

;

CMS proposes coverage for pre-exposure prophylaxis regimens to prevent HIV

by | Jul 13, 2023

On Wednesday, CMS proposed coverage for both oral and long-acting injectable forms of PrEP using antiretroviral therapy in individuals at high risk of infection. The agency also proposed coverage for the administration of injectable PrEP, up to seven counseling visits annually, HIV screening up to seven times per year for those who are taking or being assessed for PrEP using antiretroviral therapy, and a screening for hepatitis B virus. That’s important because PrEP is more than just the drug, HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute executive director Carl Schmid told Endpoints News on Thursday. CMS noted that counseling can include HIV risk assessment, risk reduction and medication adherence. “There’s a lot of barriers in accessing PrEP, but this gets rid of some of those barriers, the cost barrier,” Schmid said. “That’s a big barrier, but we still need a lot of work to be done to get people who need PrEP to be on it.”

read more

Biden administration calls for Medicare to cover HIV drug, PrEP

by | Jul 12, 2023

“Currently, Medicare beneficiaries are only guaranteed access to daily oral PrEP through Part D and face out-of-pocket costs, and long-acting injectable PrEP has not generally been covered,” said a statement from Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute. “Today’s announcement “marks a huge step in ensuring Medicare beneficiaries who want to protect themselves against HIV by using either daily oral or long-acting PrEP can do so without cost-sharing,” Schmid’s statement added. “As people are living longer and remain sexually active, it is important that anyone who has a reason to be on PrEP can access it.”

read more

Lawsuit against Affordable Care Act targets PrEP

by | Jul 10, 2023

“We must not allow a couple of individuals who want to discriminate against people who use PrEP and don’t support insurance coverage of preventive services, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C testing, to destroy the public health of our country,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, one of 25 advocacy group that filed a joint amicus brief on June 23.

read more

NAIC presses Congress, Treasury to ensure states can regulate plan cost-sharing

by | Jul 6, 2023

Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, which has strongly pushed for regulations that require insurers to count all copay assistance toward the deductible, says the clarity is needed because – as the commissioners point out – the current uncertainty gives opponents an avenue to water down the state laws by arguing that they cannot apply to residents enrolled in an HDHP.

read more

PrEP Access and Coverage Act reintroduced in Congress

by | Jul 3, 2023

“Passage of (the PrEP Access and Coverage Act) will greatly expand access to PrEP for people who have health coverage across all payers and create a national PrEP program that includes community and provider outreach as well as PrEP drugs and associated services for the uninsured,” executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute Carl Schmid said in a statement. “We must address head-on the wide disparities in PrEP use, and these bills do that.”

read more

Search

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This