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Ishita Roy

Florida Restores H.I.V. Drug Access With $31 Million Emergency Funding

<span>Florida</span> on Tuesday approved nearly $31 million in short-term funding for H.I.V. medication for residents This is a reverse course after the state health officials restricted the access to a program that helps only those who could afford costly medications.

The Florida Department of Health had imposed tougher eligibility rules on March 1 that left 12,000 residents with H.I.V. without the access to medication covered by the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This deprived them of life saving drugs, noted a nonprofit advocacy group - AIDS Healthcare Foundation. 

The foundation also sued the department over these changes with protestors rallying in opposition at the State Capitol in Tallahassee. The department cited a projected $120 million state budget that restricted eligibility for the program.

Read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/hiv-vs-aids-what-you-should-know-about-these-commonly-confused-terms-article-151102613" data-type="tilCustomLink">HIV vs. AIDS: What You Should Know About These Commonly Confused Terms</a> 

Yet, the Florida House of Representatives and State Senate, both led by Republicans, unanimously approved legislation that provides $30.9 million to fund the program through June 30 and restore the eligibility rules. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bill into law on Tuesday. 

“Lawmakers on both sides understood the urgency of the crisis,” State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando who spoke out in support of the bill on the floor, said in an interview on Wednesday. “It is a matter of life and death. People had already lost access to their medications.”

<h2>Restriction On AIDS Drug Assistance Programs</h2>

As per an analysis by KFF - a health research group, Florida was one of the nearly 20 states, led both by Republicans and Democrats that imposed restrictions on AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. 

The programs cover the cost of H.I.V. medications, which can run into thousands of dollars each month. They provide drugs free to some individuals and help others by paying their insurance premiums. Overall, they support about a quarter of the 1.2 million people living with H.I.V. in the United States.

However, these programs are under growing pressure. The cost of H.I.V. medications continues to rise, and the expiration of health care subsidies has led to a sharp increase in insurance premiums. Despite this, federal funding for these programs has remained largely unchanged for more than a decade.

In Florida, the Department of Health had reduced eligibility for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program to 130 percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $20,748 a year for an individual, down from 400 percent or $63,840. A new law has now reversed this change, restoring eligibility back to the 400 percent threshold.

“For 10 weeks, 12,000 Floridians living with H.I.V. did not know if they could fill their next prescription,” Esteban Wood, the director of advocacy and legislative affairs at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Today, they can.”

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Florida on Tuesday approved nearly $31 million in short-term funding for H.I.V. medication for residents This is a reverse course after the state health officials restricted the access to a program that helps only those who could afford costly medications.What Happened In The Past?The Florida Department of Health had imposed tougher eligibility rules on March 1 that left 12,000 residents with H.I.V. without the access to medication covered by the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This deprived them of life saving drugs, noted a nonprofit advocacy group - AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The foundation also sued the department over these changes with protestors rallying in opposition at the State Capitol in Tallahassee. The department cited a projected $120 million state budget that restricted eligibility for the program.Read: HIV vs. AIDS: What You Should Know About These Commonly Confused Terms Yet, the Florida House of Representatives and State Senate, both led by Republicans, unanimously approved legislation that provides $30.9 million to fund the program through June 30 and restore the eligibility rules. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bill into law on Tuesday. “Lawmakers on both sides understood the urgency of the crisis,” State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat from Orlando who spoke out in support of the bill on the floor, said in an interview on Wednesday. “It is a matter of life and death. People had already lost access to their medications.”Restriction On AIDS Drug Assistance ProgramsAs per an analysis by KFF - a health research group, Florida was one of the nearly 20 states, led both by Republicans and Democrats that imposed restrictions on AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. The programs cover the cost of H.I.V. medications, which can run into thousands of dollars each month. They provide drugs free to some individuals and help others by paying their insurance premiums. Overall, they support about a quarter of the 1.2 million people living with H.I.V. in the United States.However, these programs are under growing pressure. The cost of H.I.V. medications continues to rise, and the expiration of health care subsidies has led to a sharp increase in insurance premiums. Despite this, federal funding for these programs has remained largely unchanged for more than a decade.In Florida, the Department of Health had reduced eligibility for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program to 130 percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $20,748 a year for an individual, down from 400 percent or $63,840. A new law has now reversed this change, restoring eligibility back to the 400 percent threshold.“For 10 weeks, 12,000 Floridians living with H.I.V. did not know if they could fill their next prescription,” Esteban Wood, the director of advocacy and legislative affairs at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Today, they can.”

florida restores h.i.v. drug access with $31 million emergency funding

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