Where can I get PrEP?

Last reviewed: September 21, 2026

You can ask a licensed prescribing provider, community health center, sexual health clinic, county health department or telehealth service about PrEP. An HIV specialist is not required. Use PrEP Locator or HIV.gov’s locator to find services, then confirm availability, testing and costs. Most qualifying insurance plans cover recommended PrEP care without cost sharing; Medicare Part B also covers eligible PrEP services.^{[1][2][4][8][11]}

Who can prescribe it

PrEP does not require an HIV or infectious-disease specialist. A healthcare professional with appropriate prescribing authority can provide it. Pharmacist prescribing is available in some states under specific rules, but authority and requirements vary; ask your pharmacy and state board rather than relying on a fixed list of nine states.^[1]

If your regular provider does not offer PrEP, ask for a referral or help finding a service. Clinicians can contact NCCC at 844-275-6222; its PrEP page lists Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific (10 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern), excluding holidays. The USPSTF gives PrEP a Grade A recommendation for adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg who are at increased risk.^[7][3]

Where to go

Start with preplocator.org, a national directory of PrEP providers built at Emory University and combined with CDC NPIN data so it covers both public and private providers^[4]. locator.hiv.gov is the broader federal tool if you also need testing, care, or support services^[8].

HIV.gov lists the settings where PrEP is actually available^[1]:

• Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other prescribing providers
• Pharmacists where state law and the pharmacy’s services permit it
• Many community health centers
• Indian Health Service health centers and most tribal health clinics
• The VA, for veterans
• Telemedicine providers, some of which deliver PrEP to your home

County and city health departments belong on that list too — call yours and ask for the HIV prevention program.

What insurance covers

Most non-grandfathered group and individual health plans must cover recommended PrEP medication and related preventive services without cost sharing, subject to applicable coverage and network rules. This generally includes the visits and tests needed for PrEP, even before a deductible is met. Confirm the specific drug, provider, pharmacy and lab with your plan; unrelated care or out-of-network services may generate charges.^[12][2]

Medicare now covers PrEP under Part B for eligible people without HIV who are at increased risk. Covered services include FDA-approved oral or injectable PrEP, injection administration, specified counseling and HIV screening, and hepatitis B screening. Medicare describes no out-of-pocket cost for covered preventive services when its conditions are met, including assignment for applicable provider services. This is no longer the old Part D cost-sharing rule.^[11][2]

If you receive an unexpected bill, ask the clinic and insurer to check how the PrEP visit, drug and tests were billed. Ask about network requirements, medical-management rules and an exception or appeal if a particular medication is medically necessary. Do not assume every charge is an error, but do ask for an explanation before paying.^[12][3]

If you're uninsured

Start with the current payment options described by HIV.gov: medication assistance, community clinics and state or local programs. Ask what covers the medicine, visit and laboratory testing separately. Eligibility and enrollment routes can change, so use the current program pages below rather than relying on older assistance-program information.^[2]

What does still exist is manufacturer assistance. Gilead Advancing Access says you may be able to receive your Gilead medication free of charge through its Patient Assistance Program / Medication Assistance Program if you live in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory; enrollment runs up to 12 months with ongoing eligibility checks. A separate co-pay savings program helps commercially insured patients — people who are uninsured or paying cash are not eligible for that co-pay program. The phone number is 1-800-226-2056^[5].

For Apretude, check the ViiV Healthcare Patient Assistance Program’s current eligibility rules. Its website describes medicine assistance for qualifying uninsured people and some Medicare beneficiaries, with residency, income and other coverage restrictions. Call 1-844-588-3288, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Eastern. This is medication assistance, not a promise that every clinic or lab charge is covered. Other injectable products have different assistance arrangements.^[6]

The testing that comes with it

PrEP requires confirmation that you do not have HIV, with testing tailored to recent exposures and previous PrEP or PEP use. Oral PrEP generally requires HIV testing every three months. Cabotegravir involves testing at the initial visits and every two months during maintenance; lenacapavir requires testing with its six-month injection schedule and as clinically indicated. The 2023 USPSTF recommendation predates lenacapavir’s 2025 approval, so its newer requirements come from CDC and the product label.^[13][14] Oral tenofovir-based PrEP also needs kidney assessment; discuss any other tests and costs before starting.^[3][2]

If getting to appointments is the real obstacle, telehealth is a legitimate route: HIV.gov confirms PrEP can be obtained through telemedicine providers, with some assistance programs delivering PrEP medication to patients' homes, including co-pay help for insured people and patient assistance for uninsured people^[1]. We don't endorse specific commercial vendors — compare a few, and confirm they order your labs.

Related questions

Related from RiseUpToHIV