Biden rule cleared hurdles to lifesaving HIV drug, but in Georgia barriers remain

Four blue pills in the palm of a person's hand.
FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2012 file photo, a doctor holds Truvada pills for PrEP at her office in San Francisco. Georgia has the highest rate of new HIV infections, but residents — especially women and Black patients — are often not getting PrEP, data shows. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Latonia Wilkins knows she needs to be on PrEP due to her non-monogamous lifestyle. But the 52-year-old Atlanta mother has faced repeated challenges getting the lifesaving drug that can prevent new HIV infections.

Years ago, Wilkins was dating a man newly diagnosed with HIV and went to get tested, she said, but was not offered PrEP.

Since then, Wilkins said, doctors either have told her she doesn’t need the drug or were reluctant to prescribe it. Her insurance through work would not cover a long-acting injectable form that tends to have better results than the original pill form. Getting to appointments across Atlanta for the pills was a challenge. She is now enrolled in a drug trial for a promising PrEP injection but worries about future access and cost.