HIV service organizations urge Senate to secure PrEP/PEP access, expand prescriber authority
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Summary
Representatives of three AIDS service organizations told the committee H.611 should include language to preserve broad access to PrEP and PEP, reduce administrative barriers, and allow pharmacists to prescribe these medications to improve access in rural and underserved communities.
Laura Byrne, Executive Director of the HIV HC Resource Center, testified the committee should include an amendment to H.611 ensuring broad, reliable access to PrEP (pre‑exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post‑exposure prophylaxis).
Byrne told the committee that PrEP is significantly underutilized in Vermont despite evidence that it meaningfully reduces the risk of HIV infection associated with sexual and injection‑drug exposure. She said access barriers such as cost sharing, prior authorization, and limited prescribing delay or prevent care and that authorizing pharmacists to prescribe and administer PrEP and PEP—as other states have done—would expand timely access, especially in rural communities.
Byrne quoted a lifetime medical‑cost savings estimate for preventing a single HIV infection: approximately $554,000. Committee members pressed on whether the drugs are currently covered; Byrne said they are covered under federal programs (Medicare/Medicaid were discussed) but argued that state legislative authority is needed to guard against unpredictable federal changes.
Committee members noted the potential cost to the state and asked that staff gather further testimony and budget estimates before adding coverage language; the chair said the committee will seek additional testimony and review the proposed amendment.
