I became a "new case of HIV" in 1991. Most of my friends who contracted HIV (10 to 15 years before me) are dead now. But BECAUSE of them, by 1996, I was on HAART (the cocktail of drugs) that has kept me alive & healthy.

Today, there’s a proven way to prevent new cases of HIV, it’s called PrEP, and if it had been available to me & my friends, they wouldn't be dead & I wouldn't have been a "new case of HIV." We can end HIV/AIDS in our lifetime.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced that PrEP (aka: Truvada, one of the drugs I take) should be offered by doctors as a major form of HIV prevention. But there’s a huge hurdle to getting on PrEP - the cost. Without insurance, a 30-day supply of PrEP can cost roughly $1,700. Even with insurance, the costs can be prohibitive. But the House Subcommittee on Health can do something about it, they can make PrEP a part of preventative care. This would mean patients could get PrEP for free, no matter the cost.

Tell the House to make PrEP a free and essential part of preventative care!The Task Force found that many physicians aren’t offering PrEP for HIV prevention because of the high cost. Once completed, their report will be going to the House Subcommittee on Health and could help expand existing coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but HIV prevention should go further. An estimated 15% of people with HIV don’t know they have it.

In the U.S., HIV rates are actually increasing among Latino and African American men. Southern states had half of all new HIV cases in 2016. With novel preventative drugs like PrEP, countless lives could be saved. Also at risk Women, traditionally ignored in HIV prevention policy, would benefit if we Demanded that the House make PrEP an essential part of preventative care. In the U.S., 1.2 million people are at high risk of contracting HIV, but only about 80,000 of them had access to PrEP in 2016. That same year, there were 40,000 new cases of HIV in the United States. If high risk people use PrEP everyday, it can reduce their chances of getting HIV from 70-90%. Lives are at stake. Tell the House Subcommittee on Health to make PrEP an essential part of preventative care.

No one should lose a friend or relative to complications from HIV/AIDS. Tell the House to make PrEP free. PLEASE SIGN TODAY.