November 20, 2019- Michael Hutson won’t soon forget a conversation he had with a pharmacist while recovering from kidney transplant surgery at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. The pharmacist said the medication Michael needed to take to ensure his body would not reject his new kidney cost $90,000, so Michael needed to make sure he didn’t lose the pills. Michael … [Read more...]
New Report Misses the Mark on 340B Program
November 19, 2019– The latest report from AIR340B, a group financed and backed by the pharmaceutical industry, again misrepresents the 340B drug pricing program and its long history of helping hospitals stretch scarce resources to better serve low-income and rural patients. As part of its efforts to sharply restrict 340B, the group misleads policymakers and the public by … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: A Patient Mission Under Duress
November 8, 2019– Like many safety-net health systems, Centura Health has been using the 340B drug pricing program to keep some of its hospitals operating and to serve all patients regardless of their ability to pay. But continuing Medicare cuts to many of these hospitals are straining that important mission. Centura Health is a 17-hospital system located in Colorado and … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, 340B!
November 4, 2019— Here’s an interesting trivia question for you: What do actor Matthew McConaughey, game show host Jeff Probst, and pop singer Jordan Smith have in common? They all share their birthdays with one of the most important parts of the health care safety net in the U.S. – the 340B drug pricing program! Many more people have heard of this trio of entertainers than … [Read more...]
New Study: Savings from 340B are Small but Mighty
October 31, 2019— A new study by academic researchers demonstrates that savings from 340B drug discounts make only a relatively small contribution toward safety-net hospital revenues and the total costs to hospitals of uncompensated care. But while small, these resources are critical to 340B hospital patients living with low incomes and those living in rural … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Local Care When It’s Needed Most
October 24, 2019— The 340B drug pricing program helps Northern Light Health (formerly Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems) serve many patients in a region that takes up two-thirds of the entire state of Maine. But for Jennifer Rossi, who directs the system’s 340B program, there’s just one patient care success story that will stay with her forever. Jennifer is the newest … [Read more...]
What is the State of 340B in the States?
by Maureen Testoni Oct. 21, 2019– It is sometimes said that the states are America’s “laboratories of democracy.” Lawmakers in statehouses across the nation try out policy ideas on smaller scales that then can become models for members of the U.S. Congress to adopt nationwide. Judging by the recent surge of legislative and regulatory activity in a growing number of … [Read more...]