Florida ADAP restored full eligibility on July 1, 2026 after months of uncertainty. Call the ADAP Help Desk at 844-381-2327 first. You qualify if you have documented HIV, live in Florida, earn at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, and are uninsured or lack adequate prescription coverage[1]. Apply through your county health department, a case manager, or your Ryan White Part B lead agency.
Who qualifies — five things must be true
Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program pays for HIV medication for people who cannot otherwise afford it. FL DOH's enrollment requirements are specific[1]:
- Documented HIV-positive status. Bring your lab work or a letter from your provider.
- Florida residency. Proof that you live here. No minimum length of residency is published.
- Income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. That is roughly $60,240 a year for a household of one[2].
- Uninsured, or insured without adequate prescription coverage. Uninsured people can get medication dispensed directly; people with Medicare, employer coverage, COBRA, ACA marketplace, or self-insured plans may qualify for medication copay and deductible assistance instead[1].
- Not confined to a hospital, nursing home, hospice, or correctional facility[1].
If you are close to the income line, apply anyway. Eligibility is calculated by household size, and the staff who screen you do this all day.
The five steps
- Get screened. Florida screens ADAP applicants through the HIV/AIDS Patient Care eligibility process. Some forms can be completed online. You pick the county where you want services, a local lead agency contacts you and schedules an interview, and if you are approved you get an eligibility confirmation letter and choose a case management agency[3].
- Find the agency responsible for your county. Florida's Ryan White Part B program runs through 14 consortia lead agencies covering all 67 counties, so one agency is accountable for your area no matter where you live[4].
- Schedule an ADAP appointment through your county health department, your case manager, your local ADAP office, or the ADAP Help Desk at 844-381-2327[1].
- Enroll. Bring the Patient Care Core Eligibility Form, a prescription for at least one antiretroviral, and insurance documentation if you have coverage[1].
- Fill your prescriptions. If you are uninsured and your county health department has no onsite pharmacy, you are served through a specialty pharmacy; insured clients pick up at CVS retail or another participating network pharmacy. Bring photo ID[5].
Renew every 366 days — do not let this lapse
Enrollment must be renewed every 366 days. Re-enrollment runs through the state's eligibility portal at rwces.floridahealth.gov/PCF/EligibilityApplication[5]. Florida moved uninsured, full-ADAP clients from six-month to annual recertification, so most people now do this once a year rather than twice[6].
Put the date in your phone the day you are approved. A lapsed recertification is the most common reason people lose medication access, and it is entirely preventable. If you get a renewal letter you do not understand, call 844-381-2327 rather than guessing[1].
Who runs the pharmacy side
Prime Therapeutics has been Florida Health's contracted pharmacy benefit manager since October 1, 2022. A pharmacy benefit manager builds the pharmacy network and handles prescription billing for the program. Medications remain at no cost to you[5]. Prime's direct medication services line is 833-604-0925.
CVS Caremark is the contracted benefit manager for medication copay assistance, and CVS Specialty continues dispensing — 800-498-2037 or 800-238-7828[1]. If a pharmacy tells you a covered HIV medication is not on the formulary, call the ADAP Help Desk before you leave the counter.
Two limits survived the 2026 restoration
Enrollment is capped at 21,000 people. The Legislature's budget caps ADAP participation at 21,000[7], a figure confirmed in the Florida Health Justice Project's budget summary[8] and described by AIDS Healthcare Foundation as a cap on direct-dispense enrollment[9]. Practically: apply early rather than later.
Insurance premium assistance was not restored. FL DOH states premium assistance "is no longer being provided at this time"; people whose own coverage or employer plan pays premiums cannot receive direct-dispense medication but may receive copay and deductible help[1]. An independent state review of premium assistance is due in January 2027[9], and OPPAGA was directed to evaluate the program, including what led DOH to propose the cuts[7].
In the meantime, community-based organizations across Florida have been covering premiums for some clients — roughly double what they did before — by shifting money from other Ryan White Part B services[2]. If premiums are your problem, ask your lead agency directly what they can absorb.
Florida context: the 2026 ADAP timeline, plainly
You may have heard conflicting things this year. All of it was real.
- January 2026 — FL DOH announced eligibility would drop to 130% FPL, premium assistance would end, and Biktarvy would come off the formulary[9].
- March 2026 — the cuts took effect and more than 12,000 people lost coverage[9][7].
- March 2026 — HB 697 appropriated $30,901,933 in bridge funding, defined ADAP "low income" as at or below 400% FPL through June 30, 2026, required direct DOH dispensing, and required the formulary to include everything on the March 1, 2026 list[11]. The Senate described it as bridge funding for AIDS medication while a permanent fix was negotiated[10].
- June 29, 2026 — the FY2026-27 state budget was signed, restoring 400% FPL eligibility and every covered medication and adding $75 million, effective July 1, 2026[9].
- July 1, 2026 — FL DOH confirms Biktarvy and Descovy were restored to the formulary for both direct-dispense and CVS Caremark retail clients[1].
If you were cut in March and gave up, re-apply now. The program that turned you away no longer exists in that form.
Related questions
What is the income limit for Florida ADAP in 2026?
At or below 400% of the federal poverty level — roughly $60,240 a year for a household of one. Eligibility briefly dropped to 130% FPL in March 2026, but the FY2026-27 state budget signed June 29, 2026 restored the 400% threshold effective July 1, 2026.
How long does Florida ADAP enrollment take?
No processing time is published. The sequence is a screening, an interview with your local lead agency, an eligibility confirmation letter, then an ADAP appointment. Call the ADAP Help Desk at 844-381-2327 to ask where your application stands rather than waiting silently.
Does Florida ADAP still pay my insurance premiums?
No. FL DOH says premium assistance is no longer being provided and was not restored in the 2026 budget. If you have your own or employer coverage you may still qualify for medication copay and deductible assistance. Ask your lead agency what local help exists for premiums.
How often do I have to renew Florida ADAP?
Every 366 days, through rwces.floridahealth.gov/PCF/EligibilityApplication. Florida moved uninsured, full-ADAP clients to annual rather than six-month recertification. Set a calendar reminder — a lapse in recertification is the most common avoidable reason people lose medication access.
Related from RiseUpToHIV
References & Sources
- Florida Department of Health — HIV/AIDS Management (ADAP). Eligibility requirements, 400% FPL, ADAP Help Desk 844-381-2327, CVS Caremark and CVS Specialty, premium assistance status, and July 1, 2026 formulary restoration. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- HealthHIV — Florida ADAP advocacy. Puts 400% FPL at roughly $60,240 a year for a household of one, and documents Florida community organizations roughly doubling the premiums they cover for clients by shifting other Ryan White Part B dollars. ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — Patient Care Eligibility Information. The screening sequence: online forms, county selection, lead-agency interview, confirmation letter, case management agency choice. ↩
- Florida Department of Health — Ryan White Part B / Patient Care. Confirms Part B services are delivered through 14 consortia lead agencies to eligible clients in all Florida counties. ↩
- Prime Therapeutics / Florida DOH — Florida ADAP Announcements and FAQs (PDF). Pharmacy dispensing paths, medications at no cost, pharmacy benefit management contract effective October 1, 2022, and the 366-day renewal rule with the re-enrollment portal. ↩ ↩ ↩
- NASTAD — ADAP client eligibility policy changes (PDF). Documents Florida's move from six-month to annual recertification for uninsured, full-ADAP clients. ↩
- Miami Herald — Florida lawmakers' budget deal and the ADAP cap. Reports the 21,000-participant cap, the March 2026 coverage losses, and the OPPAGA evaluation directive. ↩ ↩ ↩
- Florida Health Justice Project — Florida Budget: Healthcare at a Glance (PDF). Independent confirmation: "ADAP funding: $75 million (participants capped at 21,000)." ↩
- AIDS Healthcare Foundation — Florida budget becomes law, reversing HIV drug cuts. The January announcement, the March cuts and 12,000 people affected, the $75 million restoration effective July 1, 2026, and the January 2027 premium-assistance review. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- Florida Senate — Senate introduces bridge funding for AIDS medication (PDF). The Senate President's March 10, 2026 release and remarks announcing the ADAP bridge appropriation. ↩
- Florida Senate — HB 697 (2026) bill summary. The $30,901,933 bridge appropriation, the 400% FPL definition through June 30, 2026, direct DOH dispensing, and the March 1, 2026 formulary floor. ↩
Community publications like POZ, Positively Aware, and TheBody inform framing and lived-experience context on RiseUpToHIV. Every clinical, epidemiological, or public-health claim above is anchored to a primary source.