National PrEP program
PrEP is key to ending the HIV epidemic
While 1.2 million individuals could benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV — an intervention that is 99% effective at preventing HIV acquisition when taken as directed — only 36% have been prescribed PrEP. The numbers drop dramatically for Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals who could benefit. Just 13% of people who identify as Black and 24% of people who identify as Latino/Hispanic who could benefit from PrEP have access to the medicine.
Increasing PrEP access and utilization is a pillar of the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, which aims to reduce new HIV cases by 90% by 2030. Barriers to PrEP access drive racial and ethnic PrEP disparities and include low awareness; affordability of clinical visits, laboratory monitoring and screening tests; and limited provider availability.
Improving access
A national PrEP program would increase access to PrEP by:
- Providing access to the full package of essential PrEP services for people who are uninsured or under-insured
- Increasing provider education on PrEP
- Supporting innovative provider networks
Such a program would save lives and reduce health care costs. PrEP can be prescribed for as little as $26 per month. These results highlight the significant disparity in costs compared to the considerable lifetime expenses associated with HIV care.