ADAP in Iowa — AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility and enrollment
The number
Iowa AIDS Drug Assistance Program supports 950 people living with HIV in Iowa, with an income cap at 400% of the federal poverty line.
Ryan White Part B
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of HIV, STI, and Hepatitis
State ADAP
Iowa AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Not operated; federal Ready Set PrEP applies
Iowa AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility + enrollment
Iowa AIDS Drug Assistance Program serves 950 people, with an income eligibility cap at 400% of the federal poverty line. In Iowa that means your gross annual income can be up to $61,004 for a household of one (at 2025 HHS poverty guidelines) and you still qualify. ADAP is the 'payer of last resort' for HIV medications: it covers people with no insurance, fills the gap for people on Medicare Part D, and pays co-pays for people on commercial insurance.
What ADAP covers: all FDA-approved antiretroviral medications on the state formulary (every ADAP covers the WHO-recommended first-line regimens), plus many opportunistic-infection prophylaxis drugs, lab work in states where the ADAP pays for labs directly, and in some states hepatitis B and C treatment. Iowa AIDS Drug Assistance Program's formulary is published on the state health department website and is updated at least annually.
How to enroll: a case manager at a Ryan White Part B or Part C clinic completes the application with you. You'll need proof of HIV diagnosis (a lab report or physician letter), proof of Iowa residency, proof of income (pay stubs, tax return, benefit letter), and documentation of insurance status. Decisions typically return within two weeks; medications are dispensed through participating pharmacies at no cost once you're enrolled. Recertification is annual.
The state HIV info line is 1-515-281-7124; the case-management team can match you to the nearest Ryan White clinic for same-week intake. Long-time Black residents name Primary Health Care Inc. (PHC) and University of Iowa HIV Specialty Clinic as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Primary Health Care Inc. (PHC). Primary Health Care Inc. in Des Moines is the Ryan White Part C grantee for central Iowa, serving about 1,700 people living with HIV and operating the Engebretsen HIV clinic at the Franklin Health Center — the state's highest-volume rapid-testing site.
University of Iowa HIV Specialty Clinic. The UI HIV Specialty Clinic in Iowa City is the Ryan White Part C grantee for eastern Iowa, with a telehealth outreach clinic that rotates monthly through Davenport, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Sioux City.
For Black families in Iowa
Of the 3,100 people living with HIV in Iowa, a disproportionate share are Black residents — 37% of the new diagnoses each year, same proportion or higher of the cumulative prevalence. ADAP is what keeps many of those residents virally suppressed, because the alternative — paying retail for daily antiretrovirals — would run roughly $30,000-$40,000 a year. If your income has you worried about whether you qualify, call the state HIV line first. Ryan White case managers know the eligibility rules better than most insurance navigators and will pull you through the application rather than bouncing you to paperwork.
Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in Iowa
Where to get help in Iowa
- Iowa HIV info line: 1-515-281-7124 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of HIV, STI, and Hepatitis landing page: https://hhs.iowa.gov/public-health/hiv-sti-hepatitis.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Iowa: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ia/.
- State health data for Iowa: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/iowa/.
- Iowa Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/iowa/ for eligibility + enrollment.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project — the current national ADAP eligibility + formulary reference.
References & primary sources
- Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of HIV, STI, and Hepatitis: https://hhs.iowa.gov/public-health/hiv-sti-hepatitis.
- CDC HIV Surveillance Report 2022: cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Source for state-level new diagnoses and race-stratified counts.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee list: ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/grants/part-b.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project 2024 Annual Report: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project. Source for ADAP income cap + enrollment + PrEP-DAP data.
- AIDSVu state profile: aidsvu.org/state/iowa/.
- Kaiser Family Foundation, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program fact sheet: kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-ryan-white-hivaids-program.
Data refreshed: