Prep (an HIV preventative) is still not covered by NHS

[dsc]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/16/prep-hiv-infection-nhs-available-drug

A few months before his test, in April 2017, Scotland became the first country in the UK to make PrEP available to eligible patients on prescription. But George had moved to England, where PrEP was not – and still is not – freely available on the NHS. Instead, like thousands of others, George had to self-source through a website offering generic PrEP – an identical pill at a fraction of the price of Truvada, the branded PrEP pill developed by pharmaceutical company Gilead. “Sourcing it myself took time, but I could afford it. It was worth it to take care of myself and my partner,” he says.

Now what if M4A decides a drug isn't worth it. Under that, it would be illegal for patients to try to go elsewhere (it was in the UK too until people sued). Just some food for thought.

[IronLionZion]

1. Wealthy insurance executives have decided lots of treatments are not worth it

and their patients are not worth it. So for Americans who can't afford to go "self-source through a website offering generic PrEP" the American plan has always been to die quickly.

[jberryhill]

2. What does this story about the UK National Health Service have to do with America?

Wealthy American insurance executives are determining what is covered in Scotland and England?

[IronLionZion]

3. OP stated M4A might do the same

[dsc]

6. and if they do that you can still get the drug

yes you have to raise money etc but it is still possible. If m4a does it you can't.

[Sympthsical]

4. Truvada was/is a trial with my private insurance

I had to jump through a lot of hoops to manage it with my employer-based insurance. Even now, every single month, I have to call my GP to fax a pre-authorization, get approved, etc. Sometimes I spend way too much time at the pharmacy because the insurance decides to be cranky about the entire situation.

Every. Single. Month.

Not sure how this is an argument against M4A. We already fight against formularies with private insurance. And if you’ve never had to, you’re lucky. Insurance companies can be aggressive assholes about even basic treatments and prescriptions.

[dsc]

5. the difference is if you can't get it thru m4a you can't get it at all

that is what the law says.

[Sympthsical]

7. I imagine that would change

If we were to push forward with M4A, the devil’s going to be in the details and what Congress irons out. I can’t say with any certainty what the end product would look like.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t try.

[Jose Garcia]

8. For some reason the my evil private insurance company covers this

[ecstatic]

9. I have similar questions regarding m4a as well. All generics aren't

created equally. Case in point: To save money, will all ADD/ADHD sufferers be forced onto Adderall?

[dsc]

11. and that is yet another issue

again, it will be illegal to use private money to offset this under M4A

[dsc]

10. I do want to expand on this a bit

From 1977 until 1989 Robert Byrd was the leader of Democrats in the Senate, Helms was the Republican mainstream on HIV, and Reagan, who refused to utter the word AIDS for over half his presidency, was President from 81 to 89. So you tell me, what do you think m4a under this leadership would have done in terms of AIDS?