Is The Time Right For Congressional Action On 340B?
Forbes November 14, 2024
In 1992, Congress created the 340B Drug Pricing Program to provide financial resources to safety net hospitals so they could offer more comprehensive services to eligible vulnerable patients. The program requires manufacturers to provide price reductions on covered outpatient drugs through discounts or rebates. The intended benefactor is the covered entity or institution, not the specific patient directly, for these hospitals to use drug cost savings to deliver more services to the patients they serve.
The aims of the 340B program are important. By having access to discounted prices on drugs, healthcare providers that serve a large number of low-income and uninsured patients can stretch their limited resources to offer more comprehensive care to patients. By reducing the financial burden...