June 15, 2023— Newly published research illustrates that while 340B hospitals tend to treat patients who are sicker and in greater need of care, they do not prescribe more expensive drugs than non-340B hospitals after those differences are taken into account. The latest evidence appears in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers … [Read more...]
UPDATED: Drugmakers Cutting 340B Discounts Reported Record Revenues in 2021
January 13, 2023– Note: This story is updated to include information for Biogen, which announced 340B restrictions in December 2022. The 19 drug companies that have imposed restrictions on safety-net hospital access to 340B drug pricing program discounts collectively brought more than $660 billion in revenues in 2021. The banner year for the companies occurred as hospitals … [Read more...]
For Patients, Symptoms of Drugmaker 340B Restrictions Include Shortness of Breath, Hospitalization
Dec. 23, 2022— The examples of worsened health outcomes for patients from drug company restrictions on 340B pricing to safety-net hospitals continue to mount. At Riverside Regional Medical Center in Virginia, one discharged patient with diabetes was readmitted to the hospital within days due to delayed access to an insulin medication for which drug companies had restricted … [Read more...]
End to Medicare 340B Payment Cuts in Sight
Dec. 9, 2022— On Jan. 1, hospitals participating in the 340B drug pricing program will start off the new year with something they have not had since 2017 – full Medicare payment rates for 340B-purchased drugs. While those hospitals say the end to the cuts is welcome news, they continue to wait for repayments to remedy the nearly five years’ worth of pay cuts that many 340B … [Read more...]
340B Helps Replace Emergency Care with Coordinated Care
Nov. 22, 2022— No patient should be showing up in the emergency department as many as 20 times per year because of their chronic health conditions. But nearly a decade ago, the staff at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis were noticing this happening among some of their patients with complex health care needs and multiple diagnoses. That is when the health system created an … [Read more...]
Henry Waxman Reflects on 340B’s 30-Year Legacy
Nov. 10, 2022— It is safe to say the 340B drug pricing program would not be what it is today without former Congressman Henry Waxman. In fact, 340B might not even exist. As chairman of the key congressional committee with jurisdiction over health care programs, the California Democrat was the lead author of the legislation that created 340B in 1992. To mark the 30th anniversary … [Read more...]
30 Years of Care: A Happy, Healthy Anniversary for 340B!
Nov. 4, 2022— Today marks the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the 340B drug pricing program. With his signature on Nov. 4, 1992, President George H.W. Bush completed a bipartisan effort in Congress to protect the health care safety net and boost care for people living with low incomes. The new program was unusual in that it did not ask the American taxpayers to provide … [Read more...]