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FLORIDA ADAP
Current Status:according to the national alliance of state & territorial aids directors (NASTAD), FLORIDA’s aids drug assistance program did not respond to the July RFI. insurance premium assistance has not been restored as part of the FY 2026–27 budget AGREEMENT.
This report tracks the current and projected fiscal health and cost-containment measures of AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs).
This toolkit offers guidance and tips for patient advocates on engaging federal and state policymakers.
This logo can be used across numerous platforms to raise awareness about the ongoing financial crisis facing ADAPs.
This document provides state-specific suggested social shares for Facebook, Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
“As a long-term survivor of 38 years,
there is no greater HIV services program than the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. In 2001, my health was rapidly deteriorating with an AIDS diagnosis and no access to treatment. This is when ADAP saved my life, not only by stopping my AIDS progression, but also by helping me become undetectable, meaning I could not pass HIV to anyone, and HIV stopped with me! ADAP saved my life, and it has saved so many other people's lives. Patients living with HIV shouldn't have access to life-saving medication simply to balance a budget because it directly impacts their lives and indirectly impacts the broader community by allowing HIV to continue to spread and people to die.”
- Maria Mejia, former client
Tamarac, Florida
“As a nurse who has spent more than 30 years educating, advocating, researching and caring for PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV,
I have witnessed firsthand how far we have come, and how devastating it can be when access to treatment is disrupted. I have seen people go from being seriously ill to living long, healthy lives because they have consistent access to their lifesaving HIV medications. That is why I have grave concerns and worry about restricting access to Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP is not simply a line item in a state budget. It is a lifeline for Floridians living with HIV who depend on uninterrupted access to treatment in order to stay healthy and maintain viral suppression. When treatment is interrupted, the consequences can be serious: illness can return, viral loads can rise, and the risk of drug resistance and further transmission can increase. This becomes a serious public health threat.
As a nurse, I know that prevention and treatment cannot be separated. When we keep people on treatment and in care and support them in achieving and maintaining an undetectable viral load, we are not only protecting their health, but we are also preventing new HIV infections and strengthening the health of our entire state.
After more than 30 years in the HIV fight, I cannot look at ADAP as merely a program. I see the people behind it—the patients, families, and communities whose lives depend on having access to the medications that keep them healthy. Restricting that access would not be a step forward for Florida. It would put lives at risk, undermine decades of progress in HIV care and prevention, and ultimately create greater costs for Florida’s healthcare system and public health infrastructure. Florida should be moving forward, not backward. Protecting access to ADAP is an investment in people, in public health, and in the future of Florida.”
- Donna Sabatino, retired nurse
Flagler Beach, Florida