September 7, 2018—Healthcare economist Austin Frakt recently wrote in The New York Times that the 340B drug discount program includes hospitals “that don’t need the extra help” and don’t use the program to benefit low-income patients. That’s a one-sided view that ignores research showing 340B is working as Congress intended. The research Frakt overlooks includes findings … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Lifesaving Care During Disasters
August 23, 2018—Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas just over a year ago, dumping more than 40 inches of rain in the Houston metropolitan area. More than 30,000 people were displaced in the resulting floods. It also created a public health crisis that demanded a rapid response. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that responders to disasters … [Read more...]
New Independent Study Confirms 340B is a Small Share of U.S. Drug Market
August 8, 2018—A new report by independent researchers refutes claims by the pharmaceutical industry that the 340B drug pricing program is so large it forces manufacturers to raise their prices. Writing in the Health Affairs Blog, a team of researchers from the Pew Charitable Trusts found the 340B program is only 1.4 percent of gross U.S. drug sales. This confirms earlier … [Read more...]
New Study on Cancer Care Has Important Implications for 340B
August 7, 2018—Critics of the 340B drug pricing program often claim that the lower cost of drugs for 340B hospitals is driving up the cost of care for cancer patients in hospital outpatient departments. But a new study published in the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) shows cancer care spending is actually lower in hospitals when adjusted for the severity of patients’ … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Care Close to Home
July 20, 2018 – The last thing that a cancer patient wants to do after receiving a chemotherapy treatment is to get in a car for a long drive home. But that’s exactly what some Nebraska patients would need to do if Johnson County Hospital weren’t able to provide that care locally. “The nearest tertiary hospital is approximately 45 miles to over 100 miles away,” said Olivia … [Read more...]
New Government Report Confirms Crucial Role of 340B Hospitals
July 19, 2018—A new report by a key government watchdog confirms the crucial role 340B hospitals play in providing care to low-income patients. In its report to Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) participating in the 340B drug pricing program provide more uncompensated and unreimbursed care than acute care … [Read more...]
Death, Taxes…and Drug Price Increases
July 6, 2018—There’s new evidence that pharmaceutical manufacturers have not gotten the message that the Trump administration and the American public want an end to rising drug prices. Research documenting a host of drug price increases in June and July above the rate of inflation could complicate the Trump administration’s advocacy for its drug pricing blueprint, which … [Read more...]