New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new program to expand access to support services needed by HIV-negative people taking Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), according to a government press release.

When taken daily, Truvada (a tablet comprised of the HIV meds emtricitabine and tenofovir) can lower an HIV-negative person’s risk of contracting the virus upon potential exposure.

“While PrEP is covered under most private insurance options as well as Medicaid and the Gilead patient assistance program, necessary testing and other monitoring and support services are often not covered,” explains the press release. “Therefore, the state’s new PrEP Assistance Program will reimburse eligible providers for the package of care and support services required for eligible high-risk individuals receiving PrEP. This includes regular HIV testing, adherence counseling, STI/STD testing and treatment, and supportive primary care services to ensure individuals continuously adhere to PrEP interventions and medication. The PrEP medication itself will be provided to uninsured and underinsured individuals through the manufacturer patient assistance program, and a hotline will be available to assist participants with this process, as necessary.”

The PrEP Assistance Program is part of Cuomo’s three-point plan to end the AIDS in the Empire State by 2020. To learn more about his blueprint to end the epidemic, read POZ’s “The Audacity of New York’s Hope to End AIDS.”