Taking PrEP to look after yourself and your mates
Looking after yourself and your mates is one of the key motivators behind people learning more about whether taking PrEP medication is right for them and their situation.
Taking care of the riskier parts of life (and work)
While most occupations have some low-level risk involved (ranging from papercuts to tripping over computer cables, to working with power tools or falling down mine shafts) some occupations have additional exposure risks to needlestick and sharps injuries - and if that's your occupation, you need to know about your PrEP and Income Protection insurance options.
Jump Ahead
- What is PrEP and why should I care?
- You don't have to be sexually active to see the benefits of taking PrEP to help prevent HIV transmission
- Occupations that can benefit from PrEP
- People that can benefit from PrEP
- What you may not have known
- What's PrEP got to do with a Life Insurance Application?
- Talking with strangers
- Supporting all your sensible decisions
- Sex-positive financial advice
What is PrEP and why should I care?
PrEP is a new medicine designed to stop people from getting HIV.
It’s been listed on the Australian government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) since 2018, so just about anyone can now get it!
When you think about it, pharmaceuticals that can help prevent someone from becoming HIV positive surely is ground breaking news - so why isn't this talked about more and why don't more people know about their health options?
Sadly, it seems the residual stigma and discrimination around HIV may have something to do with it.
You don't have to be sexually active to see the benefits of taking PrEP to help prevent HIV transmission
PrEP makes sense for many people in occupations that might have additional HIV exposure risks.
Different types of occupations can expose people to increased risks of Needlestick and Medical Sharps Injury in the course of their occupations. From Emergency Services Workers to Medical trauma professionals, nursing staff, and even cleaners.
The Stats: It's reported there are at least 18,000 reports of sharps-related injury rates occurring each year in Australia, with an identical number going unreported by medical professionals.
Occupations that can benefit from PrEP
- Medical Professionals who may have increased risks of exposure to Needlestick and Sharps Injury
- Emergency Service Workers like, Police, Ambulance and Fire brigade who come in contact with needles
- Surf Lifesavers, Pathology Professionals, Lab Technicians, Council Park Cleaners, and people involved in Community Sharps Management
People that can benefit from PrEP
Many people can benefit from having more information about their PrEP options and needs.
- People who have sex with men and don't want to rely upon condom use alone
- People with a partner who is HIV positive but who has not achieved an undetectable viral load, and don’t always use condoms
- People with a heterosexual partner who has HIV and who want to have a baby
- People who inject drugs
You could say, anyone who is sexually active, HIV negative, and who wants to stay that way, needs to know about their PrEP options.
We know condoms are not 100% safe in preventing pregnancy (and condoms break and slip).
If you use condoms perfectly every single time you have sex, they're 98% effective at preventing pregnancy. But people aren't perfect, so in real life condoms are about 87% effective — that means about 13 out of 100 people who use condoms as their only birth control method will get pregnant each year
What you may not have known
- People who take PrEP can qualify for Life Insurance and Income Protection too.
- Be careful what you Google search for about PrEP and Life Insurance as many American content sites don't accurately report how people taking PrEP in Australia are eligible for Life Insurances and how Australians living with HIV can also now qualify for Income Protection cover and Life Insure too.
What's PrEP got to do with a Life Insurance Application?
Your decision to take PrEP is a completely private matter between you and your healthcare provider.
But did you know an Income Protection or Life Insurance application contains sensitive medical questions about your healthcare, your lifestyle, and the medications you may use.
Pro Tip: This means disclosing PrEP use may be a condition of a life insurance application.
Talking with strangers
Some people report feeling a level of stigma or discrimination when taking PrEP and talking with people who don’t yet understand what an important medical breakthrough this is.
Many people taking PrEP report feeling uncomfortable about getting their Income Protection and Life Insurances sorted because of the uncertainty around the scope of the questions in a life insurance application.
- Whether that’s uncertainty about the types of questions they might face for an insurance application, or wondering whether they also have to be prepared for any potential stigma, discrimination (or just selective judgmentalism) when talking with an unknown life insurance advisor?
- Perhaps the insurance adviser ‘Voted No’ in the National Marriage Equality plebiscite, maybe they have deep religious convictions that override their professional values or whether they’re just socially awkward or unconsciously biased towards people who are sufficiently different from their own lives. Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia are sadly still present in many parts of society.
And understandably, nobody wants to have to be the constant educator about PrEP explaining why they choose to take PrEP.
Sensible Idea: That's why many people use Unusual Risks Insured as their dedicated risk insurance advisor, so they can keep private health matters separate from any wealth management advice.
Supporting all your sensible decisions
When it comes to supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community and people taking PrEP, while the financial services industry may be making some headways in the right direction it’s not there yet.
The good news is Unusual Risks Insured has supported the LGBTQIA+ and PrEP communities for over 20 years. We were the team that first brought Life Insurance eligibility to PLWHIV online in Australia, so we understand how to safely navigate through the insurance application process and can help you keep your dignity intact.
Sex-positive financial advice
Yep, we went there. Unusual Risks Insured is a sex-positive Financial Advice brand and believe sexually active people are also sensible people equally entitled to Quality Financial Advice, free of stigma and discrimination.
If PrEP is right for you, don't let that stop you from making the next sensible decision about getting your life insurances sorted too.
