States restrict HIV treatment as costs soar

Drug programs that support tens of thousands of Americans living with HIV are experiencing wides-spread cuts in both Democrat- and Republican-led states. About 16,000 people who benefit from the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, or ADAPs, in Florida were told Sunday they no longer have access to their drugs through the program, and other states have imposed restrictions as well. ADAPs are funded by Congress but rising drug prices and expiring health care subsidies have forced states to make cuts. About 25% of people living with HIV in the U.S. use this program and, if they stop taking the drugs or reduce the dose, they are more likely to spread the disease, while also giving the disease more of a chance to build up resistance to the medications.