Start with a county health department. Florida's state prevention initiative expanded PrEP access to county health departments, with a free 90-day supply of Truvada for new patients at participating sites[5]. With insurance, PrEP should cost $0 as a preventive service[1]. Florida has no state PrEP assistance program — call the Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline, 1-800-352-2437.
First, what changed
The federal free-PrEP program, Ready, Set, PrEP, stopped new enrollments on July 30, 2024 and ended July 18, 2025. No federal replacement was created. HHS now points people who cannot afford PrEP toward insurance coverage, manufacturer assistance programs, state PrEP assistance programs, telemedicine assistance programs, the Patient Advocate Foundation, Indian Health Service, VA programs, and the HIV services locator[1].
A warning specific to Florida. FL DOH's own PrEP program page still promotes Ready, Set, PrEP and getyourprep.com as the way to get free PrEP[4]. That guidance is out of date. If a clinic hands you a printout pointing there, ask for the current options instead — the routes below still work.
If you have insurance, PrEP should cost $0
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives PrEP a Grade A recommendation, finalized August 22, 2023, for adolescents and adults at increased risk of acquiring HIV who weigh at least 35 kg. The recommendation covers oral TDF/FTC, oral TAF/FTC, and injectable cabotegravir[2].
Because of that rating, under the Affordable Care Act PrEP is free under almost all health insurance plans as a preventive service, generally with no copayment or coinsurance — and coverage includes the medication, the clinic visits, and the required lab tests[1]. If you are billed for a PrEP visit or PrEP labs, that is usually a coding problem, not the law. Call your plan and ask them to reprocess it as preventive care.
Medicaid and Medicare: Medicaid expansion plans cover PrEP at no charge, and some traditional Medicaid programs do too; Medicare Part D covers the medication but cost sharing can still apply[1]. Florida has not expanded Medicaid, so check your specific plan rather than assuming coverage.
If you are uninsured: county health departments and clinics
This is the strongest uninsured option in Florida. The state began an HIV prevention initiative to expand PrEP access to all 67 counties, allowing new PrEP patients to receive a 90-day supply of Truvada free of charge at participating county health departments. The path: get tested for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis; once results confirm you are HIV-negative the clinic schedules a PrEP start-up visit; a nurse does risk-reduction counseling and baseline bloodwork and provides the medication; bloodwork repeats every 90 days[5].
That is documented on a county health department's own page, and offerings differ site to site — call your county health department and ask what its PrEP program includes. At least one participating partner clinic does not bill insurance for PrEP at all[5].
Community health centers. Federally qualified health centers and community clinics also prescribe PrEP, often on a sliding fee scale, and many keep a PrEP navigator on staff who files manufacturer-assistance paperwork with you. Ask two questions when you call: do you start patients on PrEP, and what will I pay?
If you may already have been exposed, you need PEP, not PrEP. PEP must begin within 72 hours. Go to an emergency room, urgent care, or your county health department; a clinician selects the regimen, typically two or three antiretrovirals for 28 days, followed by repeat testing[3]. Florida also runs a clinician consult line for post-exposure prophylaxis at 888-448-4911[3].
Manufacturer assistance programs
Gilead Advancing Access — for Truvada, Descovy, and Yeztugo (lenacapavir). Call 1-800-226-2056, Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–8 p.m. ET, with language assistance available[7]. Note that as of May 5, 2025 Gilead moved its free-drug programs from retail pickup to mail-order delivery, so plan for shipping rather than a pharmacy counter[7]. Yeztugo, approved in June 2025, is the first twice-yearly injectable PrEP; Florida ADAP publishes a lenacapavir prior authorization form[7].
ViiVConnect — for Apretude (cabotegravir), the every-two-months injectable. Call 1-844-588-3288, Monday–Friday[8]. FL DOH's PrEP and PEP page links ViiVConnect directly[3].
These programs are for people who are uninsured or underinsured. Bring proof of income and a prescription; a clinic's PrEP navigator can usually file the paperwork with you.
Telehealth — useful, with caveats
Telehealth PrEP services mail medication and arrange at-home lab kits. Read the fine print before you enroll, and be aware that none of these companies publishes a Florida licensure statement, so we do not describe any vendor as Florida-approved. Confirm with the service that it can treat you at your address.
- MISTR says it offers free delivery anywhere in the United States and that the online consult, required PrEP labs, STI testing, and medication are free, because it works with insurers and patient assistance programs; renewals run every three months[9].
- Nurx lists Florida among the states where it provides telemedicine services, though that state list is published for birth control, emergency contraception, and dermatology rather than PrEP specifically — ask before you pay[11].
- PlushCare says appointments are available in all 50 states and charges a visit fee: roughly $30 out of pocket with insurance and $129 self-pay. It is not a free option[10].
There is no Florida state PrEP assistance program. Florida is not listed in NASTAD's table of state PrEP and PEP assistance programs[6]. You may see sites advertising a "Florida PrEP-DAP" or a "Florida PrEP Assistance Program" with an income cutoff — we don't publish those, because no state or federal source documents them. Call the Florida HIV/AIDS Hotline at 1-800-352-2437 or the FL DOH HIV/AIDS Section at 850-245-4422 instead[4].
Florida context: where capacity is concentrated
Seven Florida counties are CDC Ending the HIV Epidemic priority jurisdictions: Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, and Pinellas[12]. In practice that means more prevention staff, more navigators, and more clinics that already know how to start someone on PrEP quickly.
Outside those seven counties, your county health department is still the first call — the state initiative that funds free starter supplies of Truvada was built to reach county health departments statewide, not just the metros[5]. Ask directly: "Do you start patients on PrEP, and what does it cost me?"
Related questions
Is PrEP free in Florida?
It can be. With insurance, PrEP should be $0 as a Grade A preventive service, including visits and labs. Uninsured, your best routes are a county health department, where free 90-day Truvada starter supplies have been funded, a community health center sliding scale, or a manufacturer assistance program.
Does Florida have a state PrEP assistance program?
No. Florida is not among the states with a PrEP or PEP assistance program in NASTAD's national table, and no FL DOH page describes one. Claims about a Florida PrEP assistance program with an income cutoff are unsourced. Call 1-800-352-2437 for help finding a prescriber.
Can I get PrEP at a county health department in Florida?
Many county health departments start PrEP under a state prevention initiative that funded free 90-day Truvada supplies for new patients. Programs vary by county, so call yours and ask what its PrEP clinic offers, what testing it requires, and whether it bills insurance.
What if I was exposed to HIV in the last few days?
That is PEP, not PrEP, and it must begin within 72 hours of exposure. Go to an emergency room, urgent care, or your county health department now. PEP is typically two or three antiretrovirals for 28 days, followed by repeat HIV testing.
Related from RiseUpToHIV
References & Sources
- HIV.gov — Ready, Set, PrEP program status and PrEP coverage. Ready, Set, PrEP ended July 18, 2025; the alternatives HHS now recommends; ACA $0 preventive coverage including medication, visits, and labs; Medicaid and Medicare Part D notes. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- USPSTF — Prevention of HIV acquisition: preexposure prophylaxis. Grade A recommendation finalized August 22, 2023, covering oral TDF/FTC, oral TAF/FTC, and injectable cabotegravir. ↩
- Florida Department of Health — PrEP and PEP. PEP within 72 hours, 28-day regimen and follow-up testing, the Florida post-exposure clinician consult line, and a direct link to ViiVConnect. ↩ ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — PrEP/PEP program page. Cited as a caution: this page still promotes the ended Ready, Set, PrEP program. It also carries the state HIV/AIDS Section and hotline contact information. ↩ ↩
- DOH-Hillsborough — Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Documents the state initiative expanding PrEP to all 67 counties with a free 90-day Truvada supply for new patients, the start-up visit sequence, 90-day bloodwork, and a partner clinic that does not bill insurance for PrEP. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- NASTAD — State PrEP/PEP assistance programs, detailed table (PDF). Florida is not among the states operating a PrEP or PEP assistance program, which is why claims about a Florida PrEP assistance program are not published here. ↩
- Gilead Advancing Access. Patient assistance for Truvada, Descovy, and Yeztugo at 1-800-226-2056; the May 5, 2025 shift of free-drug programs to mail order; lenacapavir approval context. ↩ ↩ ↩
- Apretude / ViiVConnect — patient support. ViiVConnect support for Apretude (cabotegravir) at 1-844-588-3288, Monday through Friday. ↩
- MISTR — online PrEP service. States free delivery anywhere in the United States and no out-of-pocket cost for the consult, labs, STI testing, and medication, with three-month renewals. No Florida licensure statement is published. ↩
- PlushCare — telehealth appointments. Says appointments are available in all 50 states, at roughly $30 out of pocket with insurance and $129 self-pay. ↩
- Nurx — states where services are offered. Lists Florida among states served, though the list is published for birth control, emergency contraception, and dermatology rather than PrEP. ↩
- CDC — Ending the HIV Epidemic: jurisdictions and plans. Florida's seven EHE priority counties: Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, and Pinellas. ↩
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.