Florida Health Department Retreats on HIV/AIDS Drug Cuts

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a notice published earlier today, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) retreated on its decision to make cuts to the State's AIDS drug program, which provides life-saving medications and health insurance support to over 30,000 Floridians living with HIV/AIDS. Alleging that an undocumented $120 million budget shortfall necessitated the cuts, the cuts to the program, originally scheduled to be enacted on March 1st, would adversely impact the life-saving care for over 16,000 Floridians living with HIV/AIDS.

The State will now go through formal rulemaking to make changes to the program. This comes after AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) brought suit alleging the Department violated the law by not going through this process.

“The Department's action makes clear that legal processes have not been followed. Floridians will now have a say in what happens to this program and its effect on them. It will also provide needed transparency, as the Department has not shown why it needs to make these harmful changes, and show how it now has a claimed $120 million deficit. This program should be fully funded to continue the care needed by thousands across Florida,” stated Esteban Wood, AHF Director of Advocacy & Legislative Affairs, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“We implore the department to be transparent and release the documents that indicate why the initial decision to cut HIV/AIDS care was made and where is the rebate money they receive from drug companies to support this program,” stated Michael Weinstein, AHF President.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.8 million individuals across 50 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.