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Committee releases bill to require PrEP and PEP coverage for Delaware insurers
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Summary
The Insurance and Commerce Committee voted to release House Substitute 1 for HB200, which would require group health plans, the state employee plan and Medicaid to cover two HIV-prevention medications (PrEP and PEP) without insurance barriers; the Department of Insurance and an insurer testified in support.
Chair Busch convened the Insurance and Commerce Committee and the panel voted to release House Substitute 1 for House Bill 200, a measure that would require coverage of two HIV‑prevention medications — pre‑exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post‑exposure prophylaxis (PEP) — under group blanket health plans, the state employee health plan and Medicaid.
The bill’s sponsor told the committee the measure "ensures that Delawareans have access to medications that prevent HIV infection by requiring front blanket and group health insurance plans, the state employee health plan, and Medicaid to cover 2 proven HIV prevention medications." The sponsor said coverage should be implemented after Dec. 31, 2027, to give insurers time to incorporate the change into rate filings.
Pam Price, representing Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, testified in favor of the bill and said "Highmark is in compliance with it," while noting a handful of technical amendment requests that the sponsor’s amendment addresses. Natalie DeSabatino Graff, representing the Delaware Department of Insurance on behalf of Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro, urged the committee to support the substitute and called the measure "intended to permanently preserve access to pre and post exposure prophylaxis medications," adding that coverage protects population health and may limit premium impacts from high‑cost HIV cases.
DeSabatino Graff also described federal uncertainty over preventive‑services mandates, citing recent litigation and noting that some court rulings and administrative actions have raised questions about the scope of federal requirements for covering preventive care. The sponsor and the Department of Insurance said the state statute would codify access regardless of future federal shifts.
After brief public testimony from an insurer representative and no substantive committee questions, a member moved to release the substitute for HB200. The committee conducted a roll‑call vote; the chair announced the bill received the required votes and was released from the committee for consideration on the House floor.
The bill sets an implementation date after Dec. 31, 2027, and the sponsor said technical corrections from the drafting attorney Marissa White are included in the amendment. No committee amendments were adopted during the hearing; the bill will be posted on the legislature’s website and, if the required sponsor signatures are collected, will be reported out for floor action.
