COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The state is planning to help only the sickest Ohioans with HIV pay for their drugs, in order to save Ohio nearly $3 million per year.

An official with the HIV drug program says the plan, which will likely start next month, will cut off some 500 people with HIV. That's in addition to the 250 people who were dropped from the program earlier this month.

The plan proposes to limit eligibility based on a count that measures a type of white blood cell.

Earlier this month, the state placed a tighter limit on income eligibility for the program. It also issued a wait list, which means no one who is HIV-positive can start receiving assistance unless someone else stops getting the money.