Ready, Set, PrEP

Ready, Set, PrEP Program Information

The Ready, Set, PrEP program provides free oral PrEP HIV-prevention medications to people living in the United States, including tribal lands and territories, who are HIV-negative and lack prescription drug coverage to help reduce the number of new HIV transmissions and bring us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.

The Ready, Set, PrEP program stopped new enrollments on July 30, 2024.

Current enrollees in the Ready, Set, PrEP program can continue to fill their oral PrEP prescriptions at no cost at their choice of participating pharmacies or via mail order.

If you are a current enrollee and have questions, contact the Ready, Set, PrEP program enrollment administrator TrialCard at 1-855-447-8410. Note that the enrollment center is not able to answer questions about individual prescriptions or provide medical advice. Please contact your prescriber or current pharmacy for that information.

Find Help Paying for PrEP

If you are not enrolled in the Ready, Set, PrEP program and can’t afford PrEP, there are other resources that may be able to help you pay for PrEP and/or your necessary clinic visits and tests.

Find Help Paying for PrEP

PrEP remains one of the strongest tools in the HIV prevention toolbox. There are a wide variety of efforts focused on supporting PrEP and other options where you can obtain PrEP medication and/or services. Use this decision tree to find out how to pay for PrEP.

If You Have Health Insurance

In most cases, the cost of PrEP medication and services is covered by insurance.

Under the Affordable Care Act, PrEP is free under almost all health insurance plans. PrEP is a preventive service and should be covered without charging you a co-payment or co-insurance. This is true even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible. That means you can’t be charged for your PrEP medication, the clinic visits to see your health care provider, and lab tests you need to get and maintain your prescription. There are no out-of-pocket costs for you. Read moreExit Disclaimer.

This applies to most private health insurance plans you get through your employer or purchase yourself, individual plans you purchase through HealthCare.gov or state-based Marketplaces, and state Medicaid expansion coverage plans, including the Basic Health Plans. In some states, the traditional Medicaid program also covers PrEP at no charge.[1] This does not automatically apply to Medicare. (Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover PrEP medication, but there will still be cost sharing.)

To find out whether your health plan covers PrEP medications without charge:

• If you have private health insurance through your employer or have purchased it yourself: Check with your health insurance company about coverage for PrEP medications, or look on their drug formulary (drug list) online to find information about coverage for the drugs approved for PrEP.
• If you purchased your health plan through HealthCare.gov or a state-based Marketplace: This NASTAD tip sheetExit Disclaimer can help you verify whether your plan covers PrEP medications.
• If you are on Medicaid: Check with your benefits counselor.
• If you are on Medicare: Find which plans cover your drugs.
• If you are eligible to receive care through the Indian Health Service (IHS): PrEP services are available with no out-of-pocket costs at IHS health centers most tribal health clinics. For more information, visit IHS.gov.
• If you are eligible to receive care from Veterans Programs: PrEP is available for Veterans who use VA for their health care. For information, visit myhealth.VA.gov.

If You Don’t Have Health Insurance or Still Can’t Afford PrEP

If you don’t have insurance or Medicaid coverage, there are resources that may be able to help you pay for PrEP and/or your necessary clinic visits and tests.

• If you have private health insurance that doesn’t cover PrEP or still requires a co-payment but you can’t afford it, you may be eligible to receive co-pay assistance from:
  • Drug Manufacturers Co-payment Assistance Programs: These are drug manufacturer co-payment assistance programs to help people who have insurance to lower or eliminate the amount they owe as a deductible, co-insurance, and/or co-payment for a specific medication.
  • State PrEP Assistance ProgramsExit Disclaimer: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington have state-based programs to help people who have insurance to lower or eliminate the amount they owe as a co-payment for PrEP. These programs also support the costs of clinic visits and lab testing.
  • Co-payment Assistance Programs for Accessing PrEP via Telemedicine: These are co-payment assistance programs to help individuals who have insurance but can’t afford a co-payment to access providers through telemedicine and have PrEP medication delivered to their homes.
  • Patient Advocate FoundationExit Disclaimer: The Patient Advocate Foundation helps people who have insurance to lower or eliminate the amount they owe as a co-payment for PrEP.
• If you do not have health insurance, you may be eligible to receive medication for free from:
  • Drug Manufacturers Patient Assistance Programs: These are drug manufacturer patient assistance programs help people who do not have insurance or whose insurance does not cover a specific medication to have access to the medications they need at no or low cost.
  • State PrEP Assistance ProgramsExit Disclaimer: California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington have state-based programs to help people who do not have insurance or whose insurance does not cover a specific medication to have access to the medication they need at no cost. These programs also support the costs of clinic visits and lab testing.
  • Patient Assistance Programs for Accessing PrEP via Telemedicine: These are patient assistance programs to help individuals who do not have insurance access providers through telemedicine and have PrEP medication delivered to their homes.
• If you are eligible to receive care through the Indian Health Service (IHS): PrEP services are available with no out-of-pocket costs at IHS health centers and most tribal health clinics. For more information, visit IHS.gov.
• If you are eligible to receive care from Veterans Programs: PrEP is available for Veterans who use VA for their health care. For information, visit myhealth.VA.gov.

Learn More About PrEP

If you think PrEP might be right for you, or you want to learn more, visit CDC’s PrEP Basics.

Also: watch and share KFF’s Greater Than HIV and CDC’s Let's Stop HIV Together Ask Me Anything About HIVExit Disclaimer videos with PrEP Basics information and PrEP videos for providersExit Disclaimer. Also, their Powered by PrEP videosExit Disclaimer feature real people sharing why they are taking PrEP to prevent HIV and how it has helped them take charge of their health.

Use the HIV Services Locator to find a PrEP provider and other HIV services near you.

To learn more about PrEP and whether it’s right for you, visit our PrEP page. For questions about Ready, Set, PrEP, email [email protected].