Any health care provider licensed to write prescriptions can prescribe PrEP — you do not need an HIV or infectious disease specialist[1]. Find one at preplocator.org or locator.hiv.gov, or go to a community health center, your county health department, or a telehealth PrEP service. Under the Affordable Care Act, PrEP — medication, visits, and labs — should cost you $0 on almost all insurance plans.
Who can prescribe it
HIV.gov is unambiguous: any health care provider licensed to write prescriptions can prescribe PrEP, and specialization in infectious diseases or HIV medicine is not required[1]. In Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia, pharmacists can prescribe PrEP as well[1].
So if your regular provider says they don't do PrEP, that's a knowledge gap, not a rule. Ask them to call the clinician PrEPline at 1-855-448-7737 (9am–8pm ET, Monday through Friday) for free expert consultation[7]. It also helps to know the standard they are being measured against: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives PrEP a Grade A recommendation for adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg (77 lb) who are at increased risk of acquiring HIV[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, in the states listed above
- 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 it costs: probably nothing
This is the fact most people don't know. Under the Affordable Care Act, PrEP is free under almost all health insurance plans: you cannot be charged for the PrEP medication, the clinic visits with your provider, or the lab tests you need to get and maintain your prescription, and there are no out-of-pocket costs for you[2]. That applies even before you meet your deductible, and it covers most employer and individual plans, Marketplace plans, and Medicaid expansion plans[2].
One exception: Medicare. The $0 rule does not automatically apply — Part D prescription drug plans cover PrEP medication, but there will still be cost sharing[2].
If you are billed anyway, don't just pay it. Call the billing office and point to the ACA preventive services requirement, which rests on the USPSTF Grade A recommendation for PrEP[3]. Billing errors on PrEP visits and labs are common and fixable.
If you're uninsured
First, a correction, because outdated pages are still circulating: the federal Ready, Set, PrEP program is over. It stopped new enrollments on July 30, 2024 and the program ended on July 18, 2025[2]. Don't spend time chasing it.
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 injectable PrEP, the ViiV Healthcare Patient Assistance Program offers its medicines at no cost to people who qualify: residents of the 50 states, D.C., or Puerto Rico who are uninsured (or have Medicare and meet the requirements), meet income criteria, and are not enrolled in ADAP or Medicaid. Call 1-844-588-3288, Monday through Friday, 8am–8pm ET[6].
The testing that comes with it
PrEP starts with an HIV test, and continues with them. USPSTF describes a documented negative HIV antigen/antibody result before you start, then HIV testing every 3 months on daily oral PrEP and every 2 or 6 months on the injectable options, depending on which one you use[3]. Those visits and labs are part of what your insurance is required to cover at no cost to you[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.
Florida: who to call about PrEP help
The Florida Department of Health publishes a PrEP & PEP page for residents explaining both and where to get evaluated[9]. Start with your county health department's HIV prevention program, and ask directly what PrEP support they can provide.
Then call the Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline: 1-800-352-2437 (English), 1-800-545-7432 (Spanish), 1-800-243-7101 (Haitian Creole), TDD 1-888-503-7118[10]. You may see third-party sites advertising a Florida "PrEP-DAP" program with a specific income cutoff. We don't publish that number, because no Florida DOH page we could verify states it[9] — ask the hotline or your county office what you actually qualify for today.
Related questions
Is Ready, Set, PrEP still available?
No. The federal Ready, Set, PrEP program stopped new enrollments on July 30, 2024 and ended on July 18, 2025[2]. Use insurance instead — PrEP should be $0 under almost all plans — or manufacturer assistance, a community health center, or your county health department.
Do I need to see an HIV specialist to get PrEP?
No. Any provider licensed to write prescriptions can prescribe PrEP, and specialization in infectious diseases or HIV medicine is not required[1]. In nine states a pharmacist can prescribe it directly.
How do I find a PrEP provider near me?
What if I can't afford it and have no insurance?
Related from RiseUpToHIV
References & Sources
- HIV.gov — Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Any provider licensed to write prescriptions can prescribe PrEP, no specialization required; pharmacist prescribing in nine named states; settings including community health centers, IHS and tribal clinics, the VA, and telemedicine providers with home delivery and assistance programs. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- HIV.gov — Paying for PrEP / Ready, Set, PrEP program status. Under the ACA, PrEP medication, clinic visits, and lab tests carry no out-of-pocket cost under almost all plans, including before the deductible; Medicare Part D still involves cost sharing; Ready, Set, PrEP stopped new enrollments July 30, 2024 and ended July 18, 2025. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- USPSTF — PrEP for the Prevention of HIV Acquisition (Grade A). Grade A recommendation for adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg at increased risk of HIV acquisition; documented negative antigen/antibody test before initiation and follow-up HIV testing every 3 months on oral PrEP, every 2 or 6 months on injectables. ↩ ↩ ↩
- PrEP Locator — national directory of PrEP providers (Emory University with CDC NPIN data). National directory of U.S. PrEP providers, created at Emory University and integrated with CDC NPIN data to cover public and private providers. ↩ ↩
- Gilead Advancing Access — patient assistance and co-pay programs. Medication may be provided free of charge through the Patient Assistance / Medication Assistance Program for eligible U.S., Puerto Rico, and territory residents; enrollment up to 12 months with eligibility checks; separate co-pay savings program for commercially insured patients only; 1-800-226-2056. ↩ ↩
- ViiV Healthcare Patient Assistance Program (GSK PAF). Medicines at no cost to qualifying residents of the 50 states, D.C., or Puerto Rico who are uninsured or on Medicare meeting requirements, meet income criteria, and are not enrolled in ADAP or Medicaid; 1-844-588-3288, Mon–Fri 8am–8pm ET. ↩ ↩
- CDC — HIV Hotlines and Warmlines (clinician PrEPline). Clinician PrEPline 1-855-448-7737, 9am–8pm ET Monday through Friday, for provider consultation on PrEP. ↩
- HIV.gov — HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator. Federal locator covering testing, care, and support services alongside prevention providers. ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — PrEP & PEP. Florida DOH's resident-facing page on PrEP and PEP and where to seek evaluation. No Florida DOH page verified in review publishes a "PrEP-DAP" program name or income threshold. ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — HIV/AIDS services (Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline numbers). Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline: 1-800-352-2437 English, 1-800-545-7432 Spanish, 1-800-243-7101 Haitian Creole, TDD 1-888-503-7118. ↩
Community publications like POZ, Positively Aware, and TheBody inform framing and lived-experience context on RiseUpToHIV. Every clinical, epidemiological, or public-health claim above is anchored to a primary source.