The Florida Department of Health last night invoked emergency powers to cut 16,000 people off their HIV medication, according to sources at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The foundation claims that the DOH has been cutting people’s medication without due process. When the foundation sued to stop this, they say, the DOH filed an emergency rule that would terminate currently enrolled patients from their medication as of March 1.

Michael Weinstein is the president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

“This just represents a reckless disregard for the public health of Florida,” said Weinstein.

Florida had an estimated 3,200 new HIV infections in 2022, putting it in the top 5 states in the nation for number of new cases.

Weinstein emphasizes that a lack of access to medication can be a death sentence.

“When people go off this medication, they become virally active and their T cells go down, and if this continues, if they make this permanent, then they will die. This is a matter of life and death,” he said.

The foundation will continue to fight this Department of Health action.

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