Without the 340B program, hospitals serving huge percentages of needy patients “would be forced to cut back services and close cancer clinics that help the underserved,” prominent oncologists at two academic medical centers write in Forbes.com today.
“We see the benefits from 340B every day,” say Dr. Robert Chapman of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and Dr. Andres Wiernik of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. “Our hospitals are in the 340B program because more than a third of our patient base is poor or on Medicare. These are needy patients whose reimbursements often do not cover our cost of care. But we treat them because we don’t turn patients away when they can’t pay for their services. Many of our patients have no insurance at all.”
Killing 340B “will only make giant drug manufacturers richer while leaving America’s neediest patients with fewer options and less healthcare,” they conclude.
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