AUGUSTA, Maine — Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in 1981, the disease has killed nearly 35 million people, according to UNAIDS. Maine has recently taken steps to combat the ongoing epidemic.
In June, Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 1115 into law, requiring state-regulated health insurance providers to cover certain HIV prevention drugs with no out-of-pocket cost to patients.
Senator Heather Sanborn, D-Cumberland, sponsored the bill. She said Maine is the third state to have this law, along with California and Colorado.
"It’s really going to reduce the barriers for folks who need access to PrEP and PEP medications, and it’s going to save lives," Sanborn explained.
PrEP is a medication for those at high risk for being exposed to HIV through sexual contact or injection drug use. Taken as directed, it can lower someone's chances of getting HIV by 99%, according to the U.S. CDC. PEP is used after a single high-risk exposure to stop HIV infection.
“We need to make sure everybody has access to [the medications] even if they don’t have a primary care doctor," Sanborn said.
Other than requiring insurance companies to pay for PrEP and PEP, Sanborn said LD 1115 allows pharmacists to prescribe medicine to folks without a prescription.
“And it’s also going to help folks find their way into a primary care doctor's office to make sure they keep themselves safe," she added.
The bill is expected to help populations at greater risk of contracting HIV, which includes gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities.
One of the law's supporters is Democratic Sen. Craig Hickman.
“As a former public health professional, I have spent my entire adult life working to eradicate HIV from our communities,” said Hickman, who represents Senate District 14. "Back when I lived in Boston, I laid down in the street to block traffic as a member of the organization ACT UP after burying 34… 34 friends."
Before LD 1115 was signed into law, the Frannie Peabody Center launched PrEP207. Anyone across Maine can go to PrEP207.org or call (207) 553 - PrEP to get help accessing PrEP and PEP medications.