Hey Big Pharma: Focus on Drug Affordability, Not Hospital Bashing

by Admin | June 30, 2016 10:18 am

Pharmaceutical companies should concentrate on making drugs more affordable rather than on disparaging hospitals in the 340B drug discount program, the leader of the association of more than 1,200 hospitals that participate in 340B says in a new op-ed.

The drug industry’s “tired line of attack regarding 340B hospital charity-care levels…conveniently ignores the $25 billion in uncompensated care provided by 340B hospitals annually,” writes 340B Health President and Chief Executive Officer Ted Slafsky in the June 28 edition of Morning Consult[1]. “That’s almost 60 percent of all uncompensated care. Nor does the drug industry acknowledge that 340B hospitals treat more than twice as many patients of color, more than twice as many disabled Americans and four times as many patients with end-stage renal disease.”

“As for the drug industry canard that there is ‘no evidence’ vulnerable patients benefit from the program,  a series of reports including one published in May[2] show that 340B savings help fund direct care of the poor,” Slafsky continues. “This includes free and discounted medicines, immunizations, medication therapy management and HIV/AIDS, cancer and other clinics. 340B also helps fund patient counseling, transport to the hospital and language translation services.”

Slafsky also notes that 340B hospitals “are seeing far more underinsured patients who cannot afford high co-pays and deductibles.”

“According to the Commonwealth Fund, 31 million Americans fall into this group,” he says. “Add the estimated 30 million who remain uninsured and the scope of the challenge becomes clear. 340B hospitals serve all [patients] because it’s their mission.”

“If the pharmaceutical industry would re-direct its vast resources towards making drugs more affordable rather than mischaracterizing a critically important bipartisan health program, we would all be better off,” Slafsky concludes.

Source URL: https://340binformed.org/2016/06/hey-big-pharma-focus-on-drug-affordability-not-hospital-bashing/

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