If passed, Senate Bill 339 would allow pharmacies to provide PrEP without a prescription and require health plans to cover the cost of pharmacists' time in preparing the medication.
PrEP reduces the risk of contracting HIV through sexual contact by more than 99 percent and through drug use by at least 74 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bill follows Senate Bill 159, which authorized pharmacies to furnish up to a 60-day supply of PrEP without a prescription. However, few pharmacies have successfully used the bill.
Preparing PrEP is a large obstacle for pharmacists and the 60-day-window is too short for a primary care referral.
The bill addresses the gap by ensuring payment for pharmacists for their time and for health plans to cover a 90-day supply of PrEP.
About 4,000 Californians - disproportionately LGBTQ people and people of color - annually contract HIV, because of barriers to access.
The bill will address the issues with implementing our SB 159, allowing people to access PrEP without seeing a doctor.
