Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill guaranteeing that some Floridians living with HIV will have access to lifesaving antiretroviral drugs for an additional three months through the state’s ADAP program.
ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) is a state-level effort to help low-income and uninsured people living with HIV obtain prohibitively expensive medications.
Amid stagnant federal funding and rising health care costs, many states’ ADAP programs are facing shortages, with fewer or more stringent eligibility requirements reducing the number of people eligible.
In response to an alleged $120 million budget shortfall, Florida introduced emergency rules earlier this month that lowered income eligibility for people earning less than 130% of the federal poverty level, or about $20,500 a year (as previously reported). Pozu magazine.
The changes could leave between 10,000 and 16,000 Floridians without access to the medicines they need to achieve viral suppression, or “undetectable” status, which can help prolong life and prevent infection.
As of 2025, Florida ranks third in the nation in the number of HIV diagnoses, with approximately 4,290 new infections per year. This accounts for about 11% of all diagnoses nationwide, far exceeding the fourth-ranked state of Georgia, which reports 2,511 new infections annually.
HIV advocates have warned that the proposed funding cuts could have serious implications for public health. MISTR, the nation’s largest telemedicine platform for sexual health, recently brought in several reality TV stars from Bravo’s. real housewife Lobbyed on Capitol Hill to expand access to HIV prevention and treatment. The effort garnered national attention, with several stars naming Florida as particularly concerned about budget cuts.
A bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers authored and passed an emergency stopgap funding bill, which passed unanimously in both chambers and was signed into law by DeSantis on March 24.
This stopgap measure provides approximately $31 million to continue the program through June 30, the end of fiscal year 2026. It would also restore the income threshold to 400% of the federal poverty level, allowing enrollees with annual incomes of less than $64,000 to have access to HIV drugs during that period. An estimated 12,000 people will continue to receive insurance until the end of June.
However, the Florida Legislature has not agreed on a final budget for fiscal year 2027, and the Republican-led House and Senate adjourned the regular session without an agreement. Long-term financing solutions for ADAP are still needed.
The stopgap bill would not reverse the state’s decision to stop covering Biktarvy, the most widely prescribed antiretroviral drug in the United States. As a result, patients who were dependent on it through ADAP have to switch to alternative treatments and, in some cases, have to move from once-daily tablets to more complex multi-pill regimens to avoid detection.
Still, HIV advocates and LGBTQ advocacy groups praised the temporary solution as a much-needed relief for low-income Floridians.
“For 10 weeks, 12,000 Floridians living with HIV didn’t know if they would get their next prescription filled,” said Esteban Wood, director of advocacy and legislation at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “You can do that today.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
