Recently, insurance company Aetna sent letters violating the confidentiality of people who receive HIV medication both for treatment and prevention (PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis). Through the large clear window on the envelope, information about their HIV medication appeared directly under the name and address. Anyone who picked up the letter – a mailman, family member, neighbor, etc. – could see that the person getting the letter takes HIV medication. The actual words “HIV medic…” appeared, and not just the name of the medication. You can see a sample, redacted letter below. We know that some people who received these letters in August. We don’t know if others were sent out at other times.
