HIV Care and Treatment: HDAP Information for Clients

What is HDAP?

Person sitting at a table scrolling through their phone

The Wisconsin HIV Drug Assistance Program (HDAP) helps ensure people living with HIV have access to:

  • Health insurance, and
  • Medication for:
    • HIV.
    • Hepatitis C, if they have both HIV and hepatitis C.
    • The prevention or treatment of other health conditions.

A list of the medications covered by HDAP can be found in the HDAP Formulary, P-02760 (PDF).

Who is eligible?

To be eligible, you must:

  • Be living in Wisconsin
  • Have a household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines
  • Be living with HIV, confirmed by a doctor

You will be asked about your health insurance to make sure that HDAP is the payer of last resort for services that can be paid for by health insurance.

How to apply

You can apply:

You can either mail your completed application to:

Division of Public Health
ATTN: HDAP
PO Box 2659
Madison, WI 53701-2659

Or send via email to dhsdphhdap@dhs.wisconsin.gov or send a fax to: 608-266-1288.

If you’re approved, you’ll get an approval letter. We’ll also let your pharmacy know. This is the pharmacy that will give you your approved medicines, and bill the program.

For more information, call 800-991-5532 or send an email to dhsdphhdap@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

Upcoming Changes to the Wisconsin HDAP

Due to budget uncertainties and increasing costs of medication, HDAP is putting cost-saving measures in place at the start of the next calendar year. These changes limit the cost and type of health insurance premiums that HDAP will cover.

  • Effective January 1, 2026, HDAP will no longer provide assistance to any HDAP client with covering the cost of premiums for Medicare Supplement plans, also known as Medigap plans.
  • Also effective January 1, 2026, HDAP will no longer provide the following assistance to new HDAP applicants, including anyone who lost coverage and is getting back on HDAP:
    • Reimbursing clients directly for the cost of health insurance premiums or medication copayments that were paid out of pocket.
    • Reimbursing clients for the employee portion of their Employer Sponsored Health Insurance premium deducted from their paychecks.
    • Family plans through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.
  • Effective January 1, 2027, the changes above will apply to all HDAP clients.

More information is available in the HDAP Policy Manual, P-01771 (PDF) and the letter sent to clients who are impacted by these changes.

These decisions were not easy to make. The number one priority of HDAP is to ensure people living with HIV have access to medication and our commitment remains with our clients and those in need of services through HDAP. We appreciate your patience while we make changes to our program policies and practices.

Questions or concerns can be sent to DHSRWFeedback@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

If you’re living with HIV, there are many things you can do to stay healthy and protect others.

Some include:

  • Discussing your HIV status with your sex and needle-sharing partners.
  • Getting support from care providers and others.
  • Reducing the risk to others by taking your medicine as prescribed. This ensures the amount of HIV in your body is small enough that it cannot be passed on to others through sex.
  • Working with your health care and social service providers to address any health concerns you may have.

Here are some online resources:

Glossary

 
Last revised September 30, 2025