TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – More than 100 people gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday, urging the state to put more money in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program as Florida prepares to cut $120 million from the program starting March 1.
The Florida Department of Health will make the program available to about 10,000 fewer people. Currently, people without insurance at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible. The new limit will shrink to 130%.
Michael Emanuel Rajner, who uses the program for HIV medication, was among those at the Capitol.
“I’m here because this matters,” Rajner said. “It is so critical that those of us living with HIV take our medication on a regular basis as prescribed.”
The state says the cuts are necessary because insurance premiums are skyrocketing and the federal government cut money to the Ryan White grant, which is used to fight HIV and AIDS.
“That placed us in a position where we needed to make some changes,” said Joseph Ladapo, Florida Surgeon General.
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Ladapo told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services last week that the decision didn’t come lightly.
“The team has been literally tirelessly trying to figure out a solution. And they’ve explored multiple solutions,” Ladapo said.
The cuts come as the HIV rate in Florida is increasing, with more than 32,000 people living with the virus in 2024. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program currently serves 30,000 Floridians.
State Senator Shevrin Jones said the state has money available in the rainy day fund to cover the shortage.
“This is a rainy day. What we’re looking at now is an actually, absolute emergency. Because what is Florida going to do when the healthcare crisis does hit us?” said Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat.
Rajner expressed concern about the program’s future.
“It’s a whole new storm they are creating,” Rajner said.
The state is encouraging people who need the medication to connect with other HIV/AIDS resources in their community.
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