Drug Discount Program Isn’t Disposable

For the past couple of years, we’ve been deflecting a lot of threats to our health care system from the federal level. As CEO of Sacramento Native American Health Center, a nonprofit providing care to more than 26,000 patients, I am painfully aware of how much is at stake. But now we are facing another…

Further Cuts to 340B Would Be ‘Devastating’

As legislators continued to debate the future of the 340B drug discount program on Wednesday, leaders at several major health systems in both urban and rural settings raised concerns over the serious risks they face if those savings sustain significant cuts. Already, those reductions have forced West Virginia University Medicine—which serves a large, rural population—to “regroup” and…

Members of Congress Aim to Drum up Support for 340B

Two stalwart supporters of the 340B program in Congress appealed today for more help engaging lawmakers and more of the public in efforts to protect the drug discount program. Reps. David McKinley (R-W.V.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) spoke at a May 16 Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by Vizient, a healthcare services company that contracts with…

Senators Focus on Hospital Drug Discount Program; Safety-net Hospitals Say 340B Program Fills a Crucial Need

The 340B discount program for prescription drugs used by safety-net hospitals needs better government oversight, several watchdog agency officials said at a Senate hearing. Although the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the program, has taken some important steps to improve oversight, “a number of important issues remain,” said Debra Draper, PhD, director…

Senate Committee Turns 340B Spotlight on Drugmakers

Lawmakers turned their sharp scrutiny of the 340B program on drugmakers Tuesday, questioning why states and providers don’t know the ceiling prices within the drug discount program. In a hearing Tuesday, members of the Senate health committee asked government watchdogs why the Trump administration has delayed for the fifth time a rule that would set…

Federal Watchdogs Urge More Oversight of Drug Discount Program

Officials from two federal watchdogs told a Senate committee Tuesday that a drug discount program for hospitals needs additional transparency and oversight to effectively monitor participants. The so-called 340B program, which allows safety net hospitals access to discounted drugs for providing uncompensated care, has become a flashpoint between drug manufacturers that claim providers drive up prices by…