Over 132,000 people in Florida live with HIV, according to 2024 state health data. In Alachua County, approximately 370 of every 100,000 residents live with the virus.
This spring, many of them were forced to ask whether they would still be able to afford the medication needed to suppress it.
Earlier this year, the state abruptly scaled back parts of Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, also known as ADAP. The program helps low-income Floridians living with HIV pay for medication and health insurance. The changes would have reduced aimed eligibility to only cover patients around the federal poverty level. Previously, patients with incomes up to four times the poverty guideline could qualify. The program would have also eliminated access to insurance premiums for many enrollees starting March 1, leaving people who previously qualified for the program without assistance…