Myth or Truth: Is PrEP Only for the Rich?

Editor's Note: There are, unfortunately, many myths going around about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP -- the use of an antiretroviral drug by HIV-negative people to prevent them from being infected with HIV during sex. This month we'll look at one myth per day and offer evidence why it's not true.

Myth: PrEP is only for rich gay men in the Castro -- or Chelsea or West Hollywood or South Beach ...

Truth: This is unfounded. Insurance and patient assistance programs make Truvada, the only drug approved so far for PrEP, accessible to people at all income levels. To date, there has been no report of an insurance company or Medicaid program denying coverage for PrEP. Insurers are willing to pay for preventive medicine because the cost is much lower than treatment of HIV. And the Affordable Care Act is making insurance more widely available. Co-pays vary and can be high, but Gilead, the maker of Truvada, has a program to help with co-pays as well as an assistance program for those who do not have insurance.