A plan to prevent cuts to a program that provides drugs to AIDS patients passed through the Florida Senate on Tuesday, but it’s unclear whether the House will agree to it.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said he hadn’t made a decision on whether to support the move.
“I have to truly study it, and I’ve got to make sure I feel comfortable with that, that it’s in the best interest of the state,” Perez told reporters after the House adjourned Tuesday evening.
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The Senate amended a bill (HB 697) dealing with drug costs to include $31 million to restore eligibility to the thousands of people in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program who lost coverage on March 1.
In January the state Department of Health stated it would be cutting funding for ADAP, blocking over 10,000 Floridians from accessing their HIV medication.
The health department cited a $120 million shortfall caused by federal funding cuts and dropped the coverage threshold from 400% of the poverty level, a yearly income of $62,600, to 130% of the poverty level, $20,345.
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The agency also withdrew some of the most popular medications from the formulary and stopped paying premiums for Affordable Health Care plans in March. Employer-sponsored health care plans are expected to end in April.
Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, sponsor of the bill, said he believed it was “probably” in a good position to be passed in the House.
“I won’t speak for them, but I think this is something they are aware is coming,” Brodeur said on the Senate floor.
The move also has Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support, legislators said. A request for comment from DeSantis’ office wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday evening.
House and Senate leaders are deadlocked on a budget, and haven’t entered formal talks, stalling any relief for those dropped from ADAP. Passing this stopgap measure in a standalone bill will help people remain eligible until a budget is passed and more money can be dedicated to the program.
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“We know it’s not ideal, but we’re doing what we can to try to ensure that they still have access to these medications,” said Sen. Carlos Guillermo-Smith, D-Orlando.
After advocates for HIV-positive Floridians and public health workers warned of the dangers of potential cuts in January, Democratic and Republican lawmakers pushed to create stopgap measures to protect people from losing coverage for their medications, but nothing yet has passed.
For individuals who are on Medicare or are on an employer-based health care plan, the bill will direct the agency to assist with copays, which allows the agency to apply for rebates to help offset costs.
The bill also includes a requirement that the health department submit monthly accounting reports about the ADAP program to the Legislature.
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The Senate’s proposal doesn’t fix everything, but it’s a good start, said Michael Rajner, an HIV-positive Fort Lauderdale resident who has been advocating for legislative action since he heard of planned changes to ADAP.
For example, Biktarvy, one of the most popular once-a-day medications, still isn’t covered, and other medications will be switched to their generic versions. Rajner also wants to see health care premium assistance in the 2026-27 budget. He believes about 6,000 people have lost coverage since March 1.
“I hope we’re able to get what this program was at one time, back to what it should be, so that people can really live full lives,” he said.
Rajner said he stayed in Tallahassee to fight for those who didn’t have the ability to travel to the capital city or didn’t know how to navigate the political system. Republicans, as well as Democrats, thanked Rajner on the floor of the Senate for his advocacy.
Rajner said he believes Perez understands the importance of this issue and will pass the bill.
“I trust the speaker will do everything to move this through the House and get it to the governor as soon as possible so that people who right now are finding themselves so vulnerable and giving up on their HIV treatment can have a sense of hope,” he said.
