Howard Brown Health Condemns Texas Court’s Discriminatory PrEP Ruling

Today, a U.S. District judge in Texas ruled that the ACA’s mandate requiring health insurance companies to cover PrEP violates the plaintiff’s religious rights.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a vital tool in the fight against HIV. We cannot get to zero new HIV infections without it, and creating a barrier to access the medication goes against all evidence-based practices and public health recommendations. The ruling is clearly targeting marginalized groups and will further restrict their access to healthcare and bodily autonomy. An employer’s religious beliefs do not give the employer a license to discriminate against their workforce, and the ruling further stigmatizes HIV as something that only impacts men who have sex with men.

PrEP is healthcare. Employers who provide health insurance cannot choose the type of healthcare their employees need. Howard Brown will continue to work with local lawmakers to ensure anyone who can benefit from PrEP has access to it.