A BATTLE OVER HIV MEDICATION FUNDING LED TO SOME TENSE WEEKS DURING FLORIDA’S LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THIS YEAR, LAWMAKERS ULTIMATELY APPROVED FULL FUNDING FOR THE AIDS DRUG ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, KNOWN AS ADAP, BUT NOT BEFORE PROPOSED ELIGIBILITY CHANGES RATTLED PATIENTS WHO RELY ON THE LIFESAVING MEDICATION. AS WESH 2’S SANIKA DANGE EXPLAINS, PROVIDERS AND PATIENTS ARE BRACING FOR THE FIGHT THAT MAY NOT BE OVER. IT’S ANOTHER BUSY DAY FOR THE OUT OF THE CLOSET WELLNESS PROGRAM. THE AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION OPERATES TWO TESTING ROOMS OUT OF THE THRIFT STORE ON MILLS AVENUE IN ORLANDO, OFFERING FREE HIV AND STI TESTING FOR ANYONE. HEALTH CARE IS REALLY EXPENSIVE. IT’S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND PLACES TO GET TESTED, 36 YEAR OLD KIANA SMITH MAKES IT A POINT TO GET HER HIV AND STI TEST DONE. ONCE A QUARTER. IT’S HER FIRST TIME OUT OF THE CLOSET AFTER OTHER TESTING FACILITIES BEGAN RAISING THEIR OUT OF POCKET COSTS. THEY USED TO DO ANY TESTING. WHENEVER THEY SAY, WELL, WE ONLY TEST YOU ONCE A QUARTER, THEN IT THEN IT TURNED INTO, OKAY, 50 TO $100 EVERY TIME YOU NEED TO GET TESTED. SO THAT’S WHEN I STARTED LOOKING FOR OTHER OPTIONS. AND THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE THAT CAME UP. AND IT ISN’T A UNIQUE PROBLEM. EVERYTHING HAS GONE UP. IT’S LIKE WITH TARIFFS AND JUST FROM THE BASICS OF LIKE GETTING OUR GLOVES FOR OUR PROVIDERS AND NEEDLES AND SYRINGES, ALL THAT, ALL THOSE COSTS HAVE GONE UP. PINEAPPLE HEALTH CARE PROVIDES CARE TO MORE THAN 6000 PATIENTS THROUGH THEIR TESTING LOCATIONS AND MOBILE UNITS. CEO ETHAN SUAREZ SAYS THEY’VE SEEN AN ADDITIONAL 100 TO $200,000 JUMP JUST THIS YEAR. DURING FLORIDA’S LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THIS YEAR, THEY WERE NEARLY DEALT ANOTHER FINANCIAL BLOW. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME, REALLY, THAT WE HAD A TARGET AT ADAP. CUTS IN JANUARY THREATENED MORE THAN 11,000 HIV PATIENTS IN FLORIDA. WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DROPPED THE THRESHOLD FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, CITING A $120 MILLION SHORTFALL IN FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS. WE HAD A LOT OF PATIENTS THAT WERE VERY, VERY AFRAID OF, HOW DO I AFFORD MY MEDICATION? IT’S JUST LIKE SAYING SOMETHING LIKE, OH, YOU HAVE YOU HAVE DIABETES. WELL, I’M SORRY, BECAUSE OF BUDGET CUTS, YOUR LIFE EXPECTANCY IS GOING TO BE CUT SHORT. IT IS LIFE SAVING MEDICATION. IN MARCH, THE STATE PASSED A $30.9 MILLION EMERGENCY MEASURE THAT RESTORED FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY. AND LAWMAKERS ULTIMATELY FULLY RESTORED THE FUNDING IN THE 2020 627 BUDGET. BUT FOR MANY, THIS WAS A WAKE UP CALL THAT THE FIGHT TO PROTECT ADAP MAY JUST BE BEGINNING. HONESTLY, IF THE RESOURCES WEREN’T FREE. AS A SINGLE MOM AND RISING PRICES IN FLORIDA TRYING TO MAINTAIN MY KIDS LIFE, I DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH IT AS CONSISTENTLY AS I DO. FLORIDA FACES ONE OF THE NATION’S LARGEST HIV BURDENS, ACCORDING TO THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE STATE RECORDED MORE THAN 4600 NEW HIV DIAGNOSES IN 2022, FEDERAL DATA SHOWS. ABOUT 135,000 FLORIDIANS WERE LIVING WITH HIV THAT YEAR, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TOTALS IN THE COUNTRY. ORGANIZATIONS LIKE AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION SAY THEY ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING FREE COVERAGE NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS ON THE STATE OR FEDERAL LEVEL. FOR US, TACKLING THE CHALLENGES IN THE STATE, WE ENSURED THAT WE WERE NEVER GOING TO TURN ANYONE AWAY, REGARDLESS OF THEIR STATUS OR THEIR INSURANCE OR FINANCIAL SITUATION. AND WHILE THEY’RE IN THE CLEAR FOR NOW, PROVIDERS ARE WATCHING CLOSELY WHEN LAWMAKERS RETURN NEXT SESSION. WE’VE GOT THE BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR, BUT THAT DOESN’T KNOW IT’S ONLY A ONE YEAR THING.
Florida restores HIV medication funding after eligibility changes alarm patients
Updated: 4:42 PM EDT Jun 22, 2026
Florida lawmakers restored full funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) after proposed eligibility changes during this year’s legislative session raised concerns among patients who rely on the lifesaving medication. Providers and patients are bracing for what they fear may not be the end of the fight. At the Out of the Closet Wellness Program in Orlando, operated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, two testing rooms inside the thrift store on Mills Avenue offer free HIV and STI testing for anyone. “Healthcare is really expensive, it’s getting harder and harder to find places to get tested,” said Kuona Smith, a 36-year-old tester who makes it a point to get her HIV and STI tests done once a quarter. Smith visited Out of the Closet for the first time after other testing facilities began raising their out-of-pocket costs. “They used to do any testing whenever, then they said they can only test you once a quarter, then it was three times a year, then it turned into $50 to $100 every time you get tested, so that’s when I started looking for other options, and this was the only place that comes up,” Smith said. The rising costs of healthcare are not a unique problem. “Everything has gone up with, like, tariffs,” said Ethan Suarez, CEO of Pineapple Healthcare, which provides care to more than 6,000 patients through testing locations and mobile units. “Just from the basics of, like, getting our gloves for our providers and needles and syringes, all those costs have gone up.” Suarez said his organization has seen an additional $100,000 to $200,000 jump in costs this year alone. During Florida’s legislative session, ADAP funding faced a significant threat. “This was the first time, really, that we had a target at ADAP,” Suarez said. In January, cuts threatened more than 11,000 HIV patients in Florida when the Department of Health lowered the threshold for financial assistance, citing a $120 million shortfall in federal funding. “We had a lot of patients that were very, very afraid of, like, how do I afford my medication?” Suarez said. “It’s just like saying to somebody that, like, oh, you have diabetes. Well, I’m sorry, because of the budget cuts, your life expectancy is going to be cut short. It is lifesaving medication.” In March, the state passed a $30.9 million emergency measure that restored financial eligibility. Lawmakers ultimately fully restored the funding in the 2026-27 budget. For many, the experience was a wake-up call that the fight to protect ADAP may just be beginning. “Honestly, if the resources weren’t free as a single mom, and rising prices in Florida, trying to maintain my kid’s life, I don’t know if I would be able to keep up with it as consistently as I do,” Smith said. Florida faces one of the nation’s largest HIV burdens. The Florida Department of Health recorded more than 4,606 new HIV diagnoses in 2022, and federal data shows about 135,400 Floridians were living with HIV that year, one of the highest totals in the country. Organizations like the AIDS Healthcare Foundation say they are committed to providing free coverage regardless of what happens at the state or federal level. “For us, tackling the ADAP challenges in the state, we ensured that we were never going to turn anyone away, regardless of their status or their insurance or financial situation,” said Russell Walker, deputy chief of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Southern Bureau. While funding is secure for now, providers are keeping a close watch on lawmakers when they return next session. “We got the budget for this year, but that doesn’t know it’s only a one-year thing, so we’re going to have this fight again next year,” Suarez said. Pineapple Healthcare offers free rapid HIV testing and a sliding scale for STI comprehensive panels ranging from $0 to $200. Out of the Closet offers free rapid HIV testing, STI testing, and medications like PrEP.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Florida lawmakers restored full funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) after proposed eligibility changes during this year’s legislative session raised concerns among patients who rely on the lifesaving medication.
Providers and patients are bracing for what they fear may not be the end of the fight.
At the Out of the Closet Wellness Program in Orlando, operated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, two testing rooms inside the thrift store on Mills Avenue offer free HIV and STI testing for anyone.
“Healthcare is really expensive, it’s getting harder and harder to find places to get tested,” said Kuona Smith, a 36-year-old tester who makes it a point to get her HIV and STI tests done once a quarter.
Smith visited Out of the Closet for the first time after other testing facilities began raising their out-of-pocket costs.
“They used to do any testing whenever, then they said they can only test you once a quarter, then it was three times a year, then it turned into $50 to $100 every time you get tested, so that’s when I started looking for other options, and this was the only place that comes up,” Smith said.
The rising costs of healthcare are not a unique problem.
“Everything has gone up with, like, tariffs,” said Ethan Suarez, CEO of Pineapple Healthcare, which provides care to more than 6,000 patients through testing locations and mobile units. “Just from the basics of, like, getting our gloves for our providers and needles and syringes, all those costs have gone up.”
Suarez said his organization has seen an additional $100,000 to $200,000 jump in costs this year alone.
During Florida’s legislative session, ADAP funding faced a significant threat.
“This was the first time, really, that we had a target at ADAP,” Suarez said.
In January, cuts threatened more than 11,000 HIV patients in Florida when the Department of Health lowered the threshold for financial assistance, citing a $120 million shortfall in federal funding.
“We had a lot of patients that were very, very afraid of, like, how do I afford my medication?” Suarez said. “It’s just like saying to somebody that, like, oh, you have diabetes. Well, I’m sorry, because of the budget cuts, your life expectancy is going to be cut short. It is lifesaving medication.”
In March, the state passed a $30.9 million emergency measure that restored financial eligibility. Lawmakers ultimately fully restored the funding in the 2026-27 budget.
For many, the experience was a wake-up call that the fight to protect ADAP may just be beginning.
“Honestly, if the resources weren’t free as a single mom, and rising prices in Florida, trying to maintain my kid’s life, I don’t know if I would be able to keep up with it as consistently as I do,” Smith said.
Florida faces one of the nation’s largest HIV burdens. The Florida Department of Health recorded more than 4,606 new HIV diagnoses in 2022, and federal data shows about 135,400 Floridians were living with HIV that year, one of the highest totals in the country.
Organizations like the AIDS Healthcare Foundation say they are committed to providing free coverage regardless of what happens at the state or federal level.
“For us, tackling the ADAP challenges in the state, we ensured that we were never going to turn anyone away, regardless of their status or their insurance or financial situation,” said Russell Walker, deputy chief of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Southern Bureau.
While funding is secure for now, providers are keeping a close watch on lawmakers when they return next session.
“We got the budget for this year, but that doesn’t know it’s only a one-year thing, so we’re going to have this fight again next year,” Suarez said.
Pineapple Healthcare offers free rapid HIV testing and a sliding scale for STI comprehensive panels ranging from $0 to $200. Out of the Closet offers free rapid HIV testing, STI testing, and medications like PrEP.