(a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10123.201, a health insurer shall not subject antiretroviral drugs that are medically necessary for the prevention of AIDS/HIV, including preexposure prophylaxis or postexposure prophylaxis, to prior authorization or step therapy, except as provided in paragraph (2).

(2) If the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved one or more therapeutic equivalents of a drug, device, or product for the prevention of AIDS/HIV, this section does not require a health insurer to cover all of the therapeutically equivalent versions without prior authorization or step therapy, if at least one therapeutically equivalent version is covered without prior authorization or step therapy.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, a health insurer shall not prohibit, or permit a contracted pharmacy benefit manager to prohibit, a pharmacist from dispensing preexposure prophylaxis or postexposure prophylaxis.

(c) A health insurer shall cover preexposure prophylaxis and postexposure prophylaxis that has been furnished by a pharmacist, as authorized in Sections 4052.02 and 4052.03 of the Business and Professions Code, including the pharmacist’s services and related testing ordered by the pharmacist. A health insurer shall pay or reimburse, consistent with the requirements of this chapter, for the service performed by a pharmacist at an in-network pharmacy or a pharmacist at an out-of-network pharmacy if the health insurer has an out-of-network pharmacy benefit.

(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 1, Sec. 3. (SB 339) Effective February 6, 2024.)