NMAC (National Minority AIDS Council), the national organization dedicated to advancing the leadership of people of color in the fight to end the HIV epidemic, is intensifying its advocacy efforts following a major policy shift by the Florida Department of Health. The state has announced that, effective March 1, 2026, eligibility for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) will be reduced from 400% to 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
This drastic change—introduced in January 2026 in response to an alleged $120 million ADAP budget shortfall—threatens to remove more than 16,000 Floridians living with HIV from access to essential, lifesaving medications. The state Department of Health has not identified any alternative pathway for continued treatment access for those who will lose coverage.
ADAP, while administered at the state level, is funded through a mix of funding that includes federal appropriations overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The program has long served as a critical safety net for people living with HIV who cannot otherwise afford treatment. NMAC warns that Florida’s decision represents one of the most severe eligibility rollbacks in the program’s history and could have devastating public health consequences.
“NMAC will continue to press federal and state leaders to protect uninterrupted access to HIV medications,” the organization stated. “No one should lose lifesaving treatment because of a preventable funding gap.”
As a rapid response to Florida’s announcement of this upcoming change in ADAP eligibility, NMAC has worked with a number of organizations to mobilize staff, resources, and community education:
– Convened with local Florida advocates in Tallahassee and spoken with Senate staff to discuss the impact of these changes, especially on communities already disproportionately affected by HIV and longstanding health inequities
– Signed onto two Florida ADAP crisis letters led by the Ryan White Working Group (one letter urging the Florida Legislature to require transparency, budget justification, and a halt to its implementation; the second letter calling on HRSA to conduct an emergency diagnostic site visit and strengthen oversight of cost-containment measures)
– Sent a letter directly to Florida Senate President, Ben Albritton, and Florida House Speaker, Daniel Perez, urging state leadership to direct the FL Department of Health to coordinate with HRSA to prevent treatment interruptions
– Created a unified FL ADAP public comment template to streamline and strengthen comments from Florida-based organizations
– Issued public comment on FL ADAP
– Sent a sign-on letter, bringing together over a dozen FL-based community organizations, to the Florida Congressional Delegation of the U.S. Congress, urging Members of Congress to encourage HRSA intervention in the crisis
Harold Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, NMAC stated: “There seems to be a misperception that HRSA must be invited by the Florida Department of Health in order to intervene. HRSA has oversight authority and could do a site visit to help ensure the efficient and effective use of federal funding to save the lives of those who will need medication access. We urge HRSA to properly use their oversight authority, as granted by the U.S. Congress, to maintain the continuity of HIV care and treatment services to the Floridians who need it most.”
