Question
How can I get my HIV meds in the USA if I can no longer afford them?
6 February 2026. Related: Access to treatment, All topics.
Is there anywhere I can get my hiv medicine if I can no longer afford it?
Answer
Thanks for your question.
i-Base hears from many people in the US who have difficulty get access to treatment.
This is often linked to difficulties with medical insurance especially from people who don’t qualify for medical aid. US healthcare is very complicated and I don’t know or understand how it works but some of the options below might help.
Although none of the following options are easy, they are all worth thinking about. HIV treatment is now really effective so finding a way to access this is important.
1. i-Base in in the UK so please try to get support from US HIV organisations, including in your local town or city or State. You really need support from an organisation that will explain and support you.
2. Try contacting one of the larger national organisations, such as GMHC in NYC (gmhc.org) or SFAF in San Francisco (sfaf.org.). They might have different suggestions, including in different States. For example, HIV treatment is now free for more people in NYC now.
Any of the large US HIV advocacy organisations might be able to help as they will know more and some are national if you live in a State that doesn’t provide these services.
3. If your income is low enough you might qualify for Medicaid or ADAP. Or if you are old enough for Medicare, However, getting or changing medical insurance sounds complicated and expensive. Advice from HIV organisations should also be up-to-date on AMA/Obama Care.
4. ADAP is an option in many States, even though there can be a wait list, and I think is also related to having a low income.
5. HIV is important enough to maybe plan to move to a State where HIV meds are provided for everyone (ie NYC). Moving to a different State might change your access to treatment even if you still travel between different States.
6. If your income is too high to qualify for aid, maybe reduce your pay or hours to qualify for an assistance programme.
7. Look at different options for sourcing generic meds from outside the US. The US pays the highest prices for medicines even after they become generic. Importing the same meds from a different country, especially lower priced generic versions might be an option. Although technically the FDA doesn’t allow people to import meds from online pharmacies outside the US, in practice many people do this for all sorts of medicines, including from Canada, Mexico or Thailand etc.
8. You might be able to arrange for someone who lives in one of these countries to regularly bring you meds, but this wouldn’t be sustainable long-term.
9. Maybe travel every six months to a country with lower priced HIV meds.
This might involve getting a doctor in that country but you could combine this with a holiday so you could bring your meds back with you. The meds might need to be the same versions that are already available in the US.
10. Relocate to a country with better healthcare.
11. Also not ideal, some people enrol as participants of appropriate research studies, as meds and monitoring are provided free, for example for a new or similar combination to your current meds.
12. Perhaps restructure your home as a business which then rents from. This might shift you assets on paper – this is a long shot but some tax systems might allow this.
13. Join the PozHealth forum or other online support groups and ask for advice there too as this is largely US-based with several thousand members: email pozhealth@groups.io
14. Sometimes people on PozHealth give away meds they don’t need – so perhaps you could ask about this on the Forum. AID4AIDS in NYC run a drug donation programme, but this might only be for people in other countries. They are worth contacting though in case they can help.
Finally, even with a high CD4 count, treatment is still recommended for nearly everyone (except perhaps ‘elite controllers’) – so it is important to try and find a solution – and I know you have probably tried all these – without losing your home.
I hope one or more of these options helps.
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