The 340B Drug Pricing Program was created to help low-income and uninsured patients access their medications. The safety net program allows certain hospitals and healthcare entities to access discounted medications from drug manufacturers with the intent that they pass those savings on to patients. The reality is very different.
The 340B program has been manipulated into a massive profit scheme for hospitals, the pharmacies they contract with, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Some hospitals, pharmacies, and PBMs fail to pass drug discount savings to patients, instead pocketing the difference for profit.
Patients deserve a safety net drug program that works for them – not hospitals and corporate pharmacy chains.
Send a letter to your Member of Congress NOW to urge them to support federal reforms of the 340B program to ensure it serves patients as intended.
Dear [[Recipient's Title and Name]]:
As your constituent, I am deeply concerned about abuses of the 340B Drug Pricing Program that are harming patients. The longstanding program was meant to help patients afford their medications and care. Unfortunately, hospitals, the pharmacies they contract with, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are abusing this federal safety net program to reap profits at the expense of low-income or uninsured Americans.
The 340B program was created to help low-income or uninsured patients. The program allows certain qualifying hospitals and other healthcare entities to get medications at discounted prices from manufacturers. Unfortunately, no patient protections exist to ensure those drug discounts get passed on to patients as the law intends. As a result, the hospitals and pharmacies get charged the full price of medications and pocket the difference to generate significant profits.
Despite the astronomical growth of 340B in recent years, there is little to show for patients. Markups on medications are nearly seven times higher at 340B hospitals than at independent clinics and not even half of 340B hospitals are located in medically underserved areas.
Meanwhile, some hospitals are already generating massive profits from 340B and engage in aggressive, unethical medical debt collection practices against the very patients the program is meant to serve. 340B hospitals have been shown to deny or defer care and take legal action against patients more often than non-340B hospitals.
Patients deserve better. Your role in Congress is critical! I urge you to advance reforms of the 340B program and ensure low-income or uninsured patients actually benefit from drug discounts. By bringing greater transparency, accountability, and oversight to the 340B program, Congress can ensure it serves its true intent for the benefit of patients.
Thank you for your leadership in protecting patients and your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[ Your Full Name ]
