Florida Halts Change to AIDS Program

Florida put on hold a potential change to the salary eligibility for its AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which if enacted would have bumped hundreds of people from the program.

Florida, which already has over 2,000 people on ADAP waiting lists, has canceled a public hearing regarding changing its ADAP formulary. Under the proposed change, the state would have lowered eligibility for the drug assistance to patients earning no more than 300% of the federal poverty level (approximately $32,000 a year) from the current 400% (approximately $43,000 a year).

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation advocated against the change and estimated that up to 350 people could be left off of Florida's ADAP should the new formulary be enacted. Among the states, Florida has the third-highest rate of AIDS in the nation.

"We are extremely thankful that this public hearing on changing the eligibility rules for ADAP in Florida has been taken off calendar," Michael Kahane, southern bureau chief for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement. "While waiting lists to access lifesaving medications through ADAP may be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of AIDS patients, a waiting list is at least a temporary situation. A change in the actual eligibility for the program itself is a permanent situation and will undoubtedly have far greater‹and graver‹consequences for HIV/AIDS patients throughout the state."

ADAPs are utilized by one third of all people seeking AIDS treatment in the United States.