Florida Slashes AIDS Drug Assistance Program, Putting 10,000 People With HIV at Risk

On January 8, 2026, Florida's Department of Health disclosed plans to fundamentally reshape the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program, one of the nation's critical safety nets for people with HIV who cannot afford treatment. The proposed changes will take effect on March 1 and include three major modifications: ending insurance premium assistance for enrolled clients, reducing income eligibility from 400 percent to 130 percent of the federal poverty level, and eliminating coverage of certain single-tablet HIV regimens, including widely used medications.

The Florida Department of Health cited a projected $120 million budget shortfall as justification for the cuts, attributing the financial strain to changes in federal tax credits for Affordable Care Act health plans. However, the department has not released detailed data to substantiate this claim.

The impact will be severe. An estimated 10, 000 people will lose access to affordable HIV medications under the tightened eligibility criteria alone. The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors'Florida chapter has estimated that up to 16, 000 people could fall off the program entirely when all proposed changes are implemented.

For people living with HIV, the elimination of insurance premium assistance represents a particularly destabilizing threat. When ADAP covers insurance premiums, people can maintain continuous access to doctors, laboratory work, and pharmacy services—all essential to remaining in care and staying virally suppressed. Without this support, many will face a choice between paying premiums themselves or dropping coverage entirely, both scenarios that interrupt treatment and increase the risk of viral rebound and HIV transmission.

Michael Rajner, an HIV advocate living with the virus, emphasized the cascading public health consequences. "The numbers are going to climb, "Rajner said. "As people lose access to their HIV medications, not only is the community viral load going to increase, but the individuals who are going to have to stop taking medications. "

AIDS United, a national advocacy organization, condemned the decision, stating it "will rip lifesaving medications away from Floridians living with HIV, increase new HIV transmissions, and drive up long-term health care costs across the state. "

Community advocates have called for the state to reconsider, with some urging legislators to slow implementation and explore alternative solutions. The fate of the proposal remains uncertain in the Florida Senate.