HB 111 – Ending PrEP Discrimination – Passes House

Yesterday, the House unanimously passed House Bill 111, 41-0. This is a bill that is designed to stop insurance companies from discriminating against people who use pre-exposure medicine to prevent contracting HIV.

PrEP medication reduces the risk of HIV transmission by up to 99% if taken daily. Obviously, insurance companies want to deny coverage here because they see taking this drug as an indicator that the potential insured will acquire a disease that can be expensive to treat. Which is stupid because what the insured is actually doing is taking steps to prevent acquiring the disease in the first, and that behavior should be encouraged.

House Bill 111 Sponsors	Yes Votes	No Votes
Lynn, Heffernan, Morrison, Baumbach, K.Johnson, Kowalko, Lambert	House passed 41-0. Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Bush, Carson, Chukwuocka, Cooke, Dorsey Walker, Griffith, Heffernan, K.Johnson, K.Williams, Kowalko, Lambert, Longhurst, Lynn, Matthews, Minor-Brown, Mitchell, Morrison, Osienski, S.Moore, Schwartzkopf, Wilson-Anton, Briggs King, Collins, D.Short, Dukes, Gray, Hensley, M.Smith, Morris, Postles, Ramone, Shupe, Smyk, Spiegelman, Vanderwende, Yearick	None
S.McBride, Townsend, Pinkney, Sokola
Current Status —	Senate Banking, Business and Insurance 3/31/21

State Representative Sean Lynn after the vote: “Today, my Bill to end insurance discrimination for those who take PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis medication), in order to prevent HIV infection passed the House of Representatives and is on its way to become law in the State of Delaware. Many insurance companies believe that there is a risk factor involved in covering those on PrEP medications, however, same should be viewed in the opposite light – by NOT providing coverage for those taking PrEP, these Insurance Companies are punishing people who are responsibly and affirmatively reducing their risk for HIV infection. HB 111 will soon be heard in the Senate, please joint me in supporting this effort to end this discrimination against those at risk for HIV.”