Florida Cuts HIV/AIDS Funding, Blocking Thousands from Access to Meds

https://www.them.us/story/florida-hiv-aids-funding-medication-access-emergency-rule

Florida Cuts HIV/AIDS Funding, Blocking Thousands from Access to Meds

The emergency rule comes just one day before a planned hearing between the DOH and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Florida’s Department of Health (DOH) has issued an emergency rule to cut funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which will block an estimated 16,000 people from accessing HIV/AIDS medications starting Sunday, March 1.

Under the state’s new policy, the ADAP — which was created in 1996 to help low-income HIV and AIDS patients afford medication — will no longer help people who earn 400% of the federal poverty level, or around $62,600 a year, per federal guidelines. Instead, it will now only serve people who earn at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, or roughly $20,345. The emergency rule will also limit insurance coverage of the once-a-day HIV pill Biktarvy, which is used by 60% of the Floridians enrolled in ADAP, per CBS News. The rule is in effect for 90 days and is non-renewable.

According to data from the 2026 National RWHAP Part B ADAP Monitoring Project Annual Report, Florida’s ADAP currently helps more than 30,000 Floridians living with HIV to access care. Of those current enrollees, roughly half make over 139% of the federal poverty level, leaving more than half of them ineligible for affordable HIV/AIDS treatment.