JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 For Justin Bell, the news of Florida\u2019s emergency cutbacks to its HIV medication program felt like a blow he never expected to relive.<\/p>\n
Bell, who survived the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s, says the state\u2019s sudden changes to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) triggered the same sense of fear he remembers from decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cShock, horror\u2026 I felt the life of thousands of individuals, including myself, ripped out from underneath me,\u201d Bell said.<\/p>\n
Thousands could lose access<\/p>\n
Under the state\u2019s emergency rule, Florida dramatically reduced who qualifies for ADAP assistance. The income cap dropped from about $62,000 a year to roughly $20,000 for an individual, a shift advocates warn will leave more than 16,000 Floridians without consistent access to lifesaving HIV medication or insurance coverage.<\/p>\n
Local advocates say roughly 500 people in Duval County could be directly affected.<\/p>\n
Under the state\u2019s emergency rule, Florida dramatically reduced who qualifies for ADAP assistance. (WJXT)<\/p>\n
Bell says the implications are enormous:<\/p>\n
For Bell \u2014 a veteran as well as an HIV survivor \u2014 the announcement didn\u2019t just raise policy concerns. It resurfaced memories he\u2019s spent decades trying to leave behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cShock and awe is what we woke Iraq up to when we went to war\u2026 that is exactly how I felt. As a veteran, it really was no difference. A huge population, we\u2019re going to wipe them out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
RELATED | They faced death, they found strength: Jacksonville AIDS survivors share journey of resilience, love and modern medicine<\/a><\/p>\n What losing ADAP coverage means<\/p>\n Advocates say the most urgent threat is the potential loss of Biktarvy, a once-a-day HIV treatment used by most ADAP patients.<\/p>\n Without consistent access, Bell warns viral loads can rise, increasing the likelihood of transmissions and putting patient health at risk.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout that access\u2026 our viral loads\u2026 will increase. That also makes our community a little more infectious,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He described how the community is already bracing for the fallout, with patients trying to understand what losing access will mean for their medical care.<\/p>\n Local advocates say roughly 500 people in Duval County could be directly affected by Florida’s HIV medication program cuts. (WJXT)<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t fair to a community that\u2019s been fighting for their own health and for the betterment of community health,\u201d Bell said. \u201cNow we are faced with this crisis to determine how we are going to pay for medication\u2026 and how we are going to pay for health care and insurance premiums.\u201d<\/p>\n State health department responds<\/p>\n