SACRAMENTO – The California Legislature today passed Senate Bill 1023 by Senator John Laird, legislation to expand access to long-acting injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly effective medication used to prevent HIV infection. The bill now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom for consideration.

Long-acting injectable PrEP, administered every two or six months, can be an important option for patients who face barriers to taking a daily medication. Currently, some health plans limit reimbursement for PrEP to the medical benefit billing pathway, a more administratively complex route that requires healthcare providers to buy medications up front and hire specialized staff to navigate reimbursement claims. SB 1023 requires health plans that already cover injectable PrEP to offer reimbursement through their outpatient prescription drug benefit, making it easier for community clinics and smaller health care providers to offer the medication.

“PrEP works, and people should be able to access it regardless of where they receive care,” said Laird. “SB 1023 removes a barrier that has made it harder for community clinics and smaller providers to offer this important HIV prevention medication. I’m pleased to see it pass the Legislature and look forward to the Governor’s consideration.”

SB 1023 is a California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus priority bill. The bill is co-sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the California Department of Insurance, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Equality California, APLA Health, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

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Senator John Laird represents the 17^th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties, and a majority of San Luis Obispo County. More information about Senator Laird can be found here.