ADAP in Rhode Island — AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility and enrollment

Rhode Island AIDS Drug Assistance Program serves 700 people, with an income eligibility cap at 400% of the federal poverty line. In Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 1-401-222-2320; the case-management team can match you to the nearest Ryan White clinic for same-week intake. Long-time Black residents name Miriam Hospital Immunology Center and AIDS Care Ocean State as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.

Miriam Hospital Immunology Center. The Miriam Hospital Immunology Center in Providence is Rhode Island's largest Ryan White Part C grantee, serving about 1,900 people living with HIV — more than 80% of the state's PLWH — and co-hosting the Brown CFAR's Black and Latino HIV implementation science program.

AIDS Care Ocean State. AIDS Care Ocean State in Providence is Rhode Island's Ryan White Part B case-management contractor, operating the state's only HIV supportive housing program — Project House — on Elmwood Avenue, with dedicated case managers for Black and Latinx clients.