California insurance companies have been warned they can't discriminate against customers who use HIV-prevention medications.
A new state investigation found that some life and disability insurance companies have denied or limited coverage to HIV-negative consumers who use medication like Pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, which is used to prevent contracting the virus.
Under California law, a person's history of using HIV prevention protocols, such as PrEP, cannot be used as a justification to charge higher premiums or reject customers altogether.
But State Senator Scott Wiener says the issue of insurance companies denying this type of coverage has been a longstanding issue.
"We've heard about this from around the country and it's definitely illegal in California," he says.