Publix Reverses Decision Not to Cover HIV Drug for Employees

Confronted by storm of controversy from medical professionals and the LGBT community, Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix Super Markets has reversed its decision not to cover Truvada for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that helps prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, as part of its employee prescription plan, according to published reports.

Publix publicized its change of policy via Twitter, in reply to Florida state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando-area Democrat who had met with company officials earlier in the week about the matter. Smith tweeted that at the meeting, the officials wouldn’t reveal whether the original decision to deny coverage “was based solely on cost or some absurd moral objection they have to PrEP.” He added that Publix representatives told him that the company doesn’t normally cover prescriptions for a condition that an associate doesn’t have yet, to which he replied that it does cover birth control.

The issue came to public attention when a website, The Body, which describes itself as “the Complete HIV/AIDS Resource,” reported that a former Publix associate had been denied coverage for PrEP. According to the Associated Press, the ex-employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he left the company at the end of 2016 after a year, mainly because of the drug coverage issue. 

When reached by Progressive Grocer for comment, Publix said that it "appreciates the concerns shared by our associates and customers. We offer generous health coverage to our eligible full-time and part-time associates at an affordable premium, and are committed to the health and well-being of our associates and their families. We regularly evaluate what is covered by our health plan and have made the decision to expand our health plan’s coverage of Truvada to include ... PrEP. We are working with our pharmacy benefits manager to implement this change as quickly as possible."

The drug is said to be more than 95 percent effective in preventing the contraction of HIV, which can lead to AIDS, The Philadelphia Tribune reported.