Letter to Massachusetts Governor Healey Supporting FY27 PrEP Coverage Provisions
Governor of Massachusetts
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St., Office of the Governor, Room 280
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Governor Healey:
The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute is a national organization promoting quality and affordable healthcare for people living with or at risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other serious and chronic health conditions. We write in strong support of the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage provisions included in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget and respectfully urge you to approve these critical provisions in their entirety.
These provisions protect Massachusetts residents at risk of HIV by establishing the following robust protections:
- Eliminate Cost and Coverage Barriers: Requires all state-regulated commercial insurance plans, Health Connector plans, state employee health plans, and MassHealth to cover all FDA-approved PrEP drugs and related ancillary services without cost-sharing or utilization management.
- Protect Prescriber Autonomy: Ensures that all licensed prescribers can prescribe PrEP, regardless of provider type or practice setting.
- Prevent Transmissions During Re-entry: Requires state and county correctional facilities to provide individuals with HIV prevention information, evaluation, and, if appropriate, a supply of HIV prevention medication prior to release.
This legislation is particularly important at a time when federal preventive health requirements have come under attack. By codifying these PrEP coverage protections in state law, Massachusetts will protect its residents from future federal changes while providing certainty for patients, providers, and public health programs. In doing so, Massachusetts joins a growing number of states, including California, Illinois, Minnesota, and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia, that have acted to strengthen and preserve access to comprehensive PrEP coverage.
These provisions represent an important step in the Commonwealth’s efforts to end the HIV epidemic. We strongly urge you to approve the PrEP coverage provisions in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget without amendment or veto.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact our Director of Government Affairs, Zach Lynkiewicz, at zlynkiewicz@hivhep.org.
Sincerely,
Carl E. Schmid II
Executive Director