“With so much partisan squabbling in Washington, it’s important to remember there are programs that not only work, but enjoy bipartisan backing,” former U.S. Rep Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.) reminds readers of The Hill’s Congress Blog this morning.
And the 340B drug discount program is one of them, he says.
“I was proud to support it when I served in Congress,” Gutknecht continues. “Yes, the program is funded at the expense of extra profits by the drug companies. More importantly, it allows hospitals and clinics to help poor Americans stay healthier and it actually saves taxpayer money by keeping people out of the hospital.”
“As the cost of medicine soars, the program becomes more essential than ever,” Gutknecht concludes. “It is time to hit the brakes on the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to kill it. If we don’t, the casualties will be America’s poor and the hospitals that treat them.”
Gutknecht served in the House from 1995 to 2007.
Read Gutknecht’s complete essay here.