November 18, 2016—The 340B program omnibus guidance, aka mega-guidance, is still penciled in for release in December 2016, according to the federal government's latest status report on forthcoming regulatory activities. The White House Office of Management and Budget recently released the fall edition of the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The unified … [Read more...]
340B Program Essential, Hospitals Say at Capitol Hill Briefing
November 16, 2016—Hospitals from across America came to Capitol Hill today to urge the incoming Trump administration and GOP-led Congress to do no harm to the 340B drug discount program. Hospital representatives from New York, Wisconsin, Texas, and California explained at a standing-room-only congressional staff briefing that they depend heavily on 340B savings to care for … [Read more...]
Has the Uninsured Rate Stalled at 9 Percent?
November 3, 2016—The Obamacare-driven decline in the share of Americans lacking health insurance might have stalled at about 9 percent, with about one out of every four poor and near-poor adults under age 65 still lacking coverage, new data from the National Center for Health Statistics show. Meanwhile, nearly 40 percent of insured working-age adults are now enrolled in a … [Read more...]
CMS Rule Likely Won’t Block Hospitals Using 340B in New Offsite Locations
November 3, 2016—A new federal rule that changes how Medicare pays for services at certain hospital off-campus departments likely won't prevent hospitals from enrolling the sites in the 340B drug discount program in 2017. On Nov. 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a final rule implementing the site neutrality provision in Section 603 of the … [Read more...]
Delaware Drops Medicaid 340B Carve-Out Requirement
November 2, 2016—Delaware Medicaid has dropped what was thought to be a first-of-its-kind state requirement that would have barred healthcare providers from using 340B-purchased drugs for Medicaid beneficiaries. … [Read more...]
340B Hospitals Ask DOJ for EpiPen Overcharge Investigation
November 1, 2016—Hospitals and health systems in the 340B drug discount program have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether drugmaker Mylan overcharged 340B healthcare providers for EpiPen anaphylaxis rescue auto-injectors. … [Read more...]
340B Is Good For Americans. Why Is Big Pharma Trying to Gut it?
November 1, 2016—Thanks to the money its saves from being in the 340B drug discount program, a Virginia hospital could afford to perform heart surgery on an unemployed, uninsured man, put him on a blood thinner, and then keep close tabs on his health post-discharge – all for free. A Boston 340B hospital likewise can afford to keep first responders supplied with opioid overdose … [Read more...]