Healthcare Advocates Join AHF to Question Florida Officials Eliminating Access to Care When HIV Rates Are on the Rise

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 20, 2026--

Healthcare advocates from across Florida will emerge on the state capitol to speak out against drastic cuts to Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), recently announced by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), that will eliminate access to life-saving medication and healthcare needed by thousands living with HIV/AIDS. Beginning March 1, 2026, Florida ADAP will reduce the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) income eligibility threshold for uninsured clients from 400% FPL to 130% FPL; only provide medication copays for insured clients; eliminate all assistance for insurance premiums; eliminate access to highly used HIV medications like Biktarvy; limit access to other single-tablet HIV/AIDS medications, and eliminate insurance rebates provided by ADAP. These changes will directly impact more than 16,000, working Floridians who rely on insurance and ADAP support to maintain their life-saving care. The stated cuts will not only have a negative impact on maintaining care for individuals living with the virus but also in controlling an increase in new diagnosis rates across the state, which ranks #3 nationally for new diagnosis. The FDOH, actions are based on un-documented administrative issues not clinical matters. The Fight For Our Lives rally, being led by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a leading non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS care across the state, will start at 12:45pm EST on the steps of the historic state capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida.

“The actions of the Florida Department of Health need to be immediately reversed. We understand there are budget pressures, but the solution cannot be cutting thousands of Floridians from lifesaving care. We’re calling on the state to find a path forward that keeps patients in care,” stated Esteban Wood, AHF Southern Bureau Director of Legislative Affairs.

As shared by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, the policy compounds harm by allowing only a two-month transition – effective March 1, 2026 – for people to secure alternative coverage, an unrealistic timeline in a fragmented insurance market.

According to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), Florida ADAP served 32,248 clients in 2024: 40% at or below 100% FPL, 10% between 101-138% FPL, and 50% between 138-400% FPL. With a cutoff at 130% FPL, NASTAD estimates that more than 16,000 people will lose ADAP coverage. This means that roughly half of all Floridians currently relying on ADAP for uninterrupted access to HIV treatment are at immediate risk of treatment disruption solely due to an administrative eligibility change, not clinical need.

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CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT:

W. Imara Canady, National Director, Communications & Community Engagement, AHF

Cell: 770-940-6555/ Email: [email protected]

KEYWORD: FLORIDA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: AIDS PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT HEALTH HEALTHCARE REFORM HEALTH INSURANCE ADVOCACY GROUP OPINION GENERAL HEALTH

SOURCE: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Copyright Business Wire 2026.

PUB: 01/20/2026 11:37 AM/DISC: 01/20/2026 11:37 AM

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