Federal judge rules government can’t mandate coverage for drugs that prevent HIV infections

Judge says mandate violates religious beliefs of a Christian-owned company

Truvada is a PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medication used to lower the risk of HIV infection. (Abaca Via Reuters Connect, Abaca Via Reuters Connect)

A federal judge in Texas ruled that a provision of the Affordable Care Act that mandates free coverage of certain drugs that prevent HIV infections violates the religious beliefs of a Christian-owned company, according to reports.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by former Texas solicitor general Jonathan Mitchell on behalf of Braidwood Management Inc. The lawsuit challenges a provision in the ACA that required free coverage of HIV drugs Truvada and Descovy, commonly known as PrEP.

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“Defendants do not show a compelling interest in forcing private, religious corporations to cover PrEP drugs with no cost-sharing and no religious exemptions,” the judge ruled, according to NBC News.

Thousands of Americans use the drugs. According to the CDC, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a medicine that reduces your chances of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. It’s highly effective for preventing HIV. Anyone can get an HIV infection regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender or age.

The CDC said PrEP is safe, but people can experience side effects like diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigue, and stomach pain. These side effects usually go away over time.

If you need help paying for PrEP, the CDC has some information on its website that can help you find assistance. The CDC also provides more information about PrEP, click here to learn more.


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Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.