Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the state budget in Tampa on Monday, locked in funding for Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which starts Wednesday.
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This spring, the Legislature set aside $75 million in funding for ADAP, and eligibility for the program has been restored to those who earn up to 400% of the poverty level.
“For months, it was a promise. Today it’s the law, and people can finally breathe,” said Esteban Wood, director of advocacy and legislative affairs at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
However, the 2026-2027 budget still caps the number of people who can purchase prescriptions directly through the program at 21,000, a roadblock AHF still opposes.
“No one who needs this medicine should be turned away,” AHF said in a news release.
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ADAP is funded by a combination of state money, federal grants and pharmaceutical rebates.
Citing a $120 million federal funding shortfall, in January the Florida Department of Health stated it would reduce the coverage threshold from 400% of the poverty level ($62,600 yearly income) to 130% of the poverty level ($20,345 annual pay).
The department also withdrew some of the most popular medications from the list of approved drugs and stopped paying premiums for some plans in March, before the stopgap funding was approved.
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