Expanding Pharmacy Access to HIV Prevention Medications
On Wednesday, January 28, the House Health Committee passed a substitute version of Senate Bill 195, which would allow Georgia pharmacists to dispense pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV prevention without requiring a separate doctor’s prescription. If passed, pharmacists would operate under a statewide protocol developed by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, with oversight from a Georgia-based physician.
Why this matters: PrEP is a daily medication that reduces HIV transmission risk by up to 99%, while PEP is a 28-day treatment that must start within 72 hours of potential exposure. Georgia has the highest HIV diagnosis rate in the nation at 23.1 per 100,000 residents, more than double the national average, and metro Atlanta ranks third nationally for new HIV cases, according to the CDC.
The substitute version passed on Wednesday includes new requirements compared to the bill that passed committee unanimously last year:
Both supervising physicians and pharmacists must reside in Georgia;
Pharmacists must complete approved training and maintain Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification and liability insurance;
Patients must have an in-person visit and remain for 15-minute post-administration monitoring; and
Pharmacists must notify the patient’s primary care provider within 72 hours.
Potential concerns: While framed as patient safety measures, these amendments may limit pharmacist participation and patient access. The in-state residency requirement excludes telehealth-based protocols used in other states, training and insurance requirements add costs that may discourage participation, and the primary care notification requirement could deter individuals seeking confidential services.
GHF supports SB 195 as a meaningful step toward expanding access to HIV prevention in Georgia. Monitoring implementation will be important: if limited pharmacist participation results from the additional requirements, this data could support future amendments to strengthen access while maintaining appropriate safeguards.
Status: Referred to the House Public and Community Health Committee
GHF Position: Monitoring
Summary: HB 657 establishes statutory definitions and qualifications for recovery community organizations (RCOs) focused on substance use disorders and formalizes peer specialist certification under the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). The bill defines five categories of certified peer specialists, establishes requirements for RCOs, and authorizes DBHDD to designate a single statewide recovery community organization to coordinate the RCO network.
Summary: HB 961 would expand Georgia’s surprise out-of-network medical billing protections to emergency ground ambulance rides. HB 961 would require health plans to treat the transport as a covered service when it is ordered by a first responder or treating clinician. For consumers, out-of-network ambulance cost-sharing would be capped at in-network levels, and ambulance providers could not bill patients beyond that amount for covered, paid services. The bill also sets a minimum payment standard for out-of-network ambulance providers and requires insurers to pay them directly (generally within 30 days). These changes could reduce unexpected ambulance bills for patients, though the relatively high required payment rates may increase costs of health insurance over time.
Status: Referred to the House Health Committee (the bill will be heard in committee today (Monday, February 2nd), but without a committee vote)
GHF Position: Under review
Summary: HB 1002 would require the Department of Community Health to transfer Medicaid coverage for foster children from managed care to the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid program upon expiration or renewal of the current care management organization contracts. The provision includes an automatic repeal date of December 31, 2028. Foster children have complex, trauma-informed care needs that may be better served through direct access to any Medicaid provider rather than through the more restricted provider networks of Georgia’s Medicaid insurance companies. However, foster children in managed care currently have care coordination services built into their coverage; FFS Medicaid does not inherently include care coordination, which could result in fragmented care. Additionally, the bill does not address how DCH will ensure continuity of care during the transition or what happens after the 2028 repeal date.
Status: Passed the House in 2025, awaiting a vote from the Senate agreeing to the House’s changes to the bill.
GHF position: Monitoring
Summary: SB 131 would create a parity compliance review panel within the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council to identify and address mental health parity violations by health insurers and state health care entities. The bill adds the Insurance Commissioner to the Coordinating Council and requires health care providers to report suspected parity violations to the panel using forms and processes the panel establishes. The panel would evaluate these reports, determine whether violations occurred, and recommend punitive actions to the Commissioner of Insurance (for private insurers) and the Commissioner of Community Health (for state-run insurance programs like Medicaid).
Status: Referred to the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee
GHF Position: Under review
Summary: SB 428 would direct the Department of Community Health to submit a Section 1915(c) waiver request to CMS by December 31, 2026, to authorize Medicaid reimbursement for home and community-based services (HCBS) for adults over 21 who need mental health services but do not require institutional-level care. Eligibility would be determined based on risk factors, including hospitalization history, psychiatric crises, emergency department visits, prior incarceration, and homelessness.
Advocate With Us At The Capitol!
Join These Advocacy Events During the Legislative Session
Each week during the legislative session, we’ll highlight legislative advocacy days hosted by our partner organizations. These events offer excellent opportunities to engage in lawmaking by meeting your legislators and advocating for critical health issues.
February 3 – Mental Health Parity Day at The Capitol, co-hosted by the Georgia Parity Collaborative, the Carter Center, and Georgians for a Healthy Future
February 4 – Cancer Action Day hosted by American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Please contact Anthony Hill at ahill@healthyfuturega.org if you have an advocacy event you’d like included in GHF’s legislative update.
We hope to see you at one or more of these impactful events!
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GHF monitors legislative activity on many critical consumer health care topics. Along with our weekly legislative updates and timely analysis of bills, here are tools to help you stay in touch with health policy under the Gold Dome.
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