Equality California, Congressional Leaders, and HIV Advocates Urge Governor Newsom to Sign AB 554 and Protect PrEP Access

SACRAMENTO, CA - Equality California joined Assemblymembers Mark González and Matt Haney, a coalition of Congressional leaders, and more than 90 state and national HIV advocacy organizations in calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to sign AB 554 (González & Haney) - landmark legislation that would guarantee insurance coverage of all FDA-approved PrEP medications, including long-acting injectable PrEP, without cost-sharing or other insurance barriers like prior authorization.

Two major letters of support were sent to Governor Newsom this week:

• HIV Advocates' Letter: 92 state and national HIV organizations urged the governor to act following CVS Health's announcement that its commercial insurance plans will not cover Yeztugo (lenacapavir), a groundbreaking twice-yearly HIV prevention medication.
• Congressional Leaders' Letter: Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) and 12 members of Congress urged Governor Newsom to sign AB 554, citing escalating threats to federal preventive healthcare protections under U.S. Health Secretary RFK Jr.

With CalPERS set to transition to CVS as its pharmacy benefit manager in 2026 - potentially impacting access for more than 1.5 million state employees - advocates say the urgency to sign AB 554 into law could not be greater.

"Long-acting PrEP is a game changer in HIV prevention - but too often, insurance companies create needless barriers and block access from the communities who need it most," said Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California. "At a time when the Trump administration is rolling back critical federal public health protections, AB 554 ensures Californians can access groundbreaking PrEP medications without unnecessary costs or insurance barriers and reaffirms California's role as the nation's undisputed leader in the fight to end the HIV epidemic. We urge Governor Newsom to sign this urgently needed bill into law."

About AB 554:

• Requires private health plans and insurers to cover all FDA-approved PrEP medications without patient cost-sharing.
• Strengthens existing law requiring private health plans and insurers to cover PrEP medications - including long-acting options - without prior authorization or step therapy.
• Requires health plans and insurers to cover injectable PrEP medications under both the medical and pharmacy benefits, simplifying reimbursement and enabling community clinics to provide access to more patients.

AB 554 passed the Legislature on September 10 and now awaits action from Governor Newsom, who has until October 13 to sign the bill. For more information, visit eqca.org/legislation.

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