Many low-income and uninsured patients in IL rely on safety net programs to access and afford their prescription medications. The 340B Drug Pricing Program was created to help vulnerable patients access their medicines through manufacturer discounts to specific covered entities. Unfortunately, 340B has devolved into a profitable business model for big hospitals who pocket drug discounts without passing them on to patients in need.
TELL ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS: OPPOSE 340B MANDATES THAT DON'T HELP PATIENTS
Legislation in Illinois will enable further abuse of the 340B program by allowing unlimited and unregulated expansion of contract pharmacies without any guardrails to prevent widespread exploitation of the program.
Send a message to Illinois legislators RIGHT NOW and urge them to prioritize reforms that will effectively address affordability challenges for vulnerable patients in IL.
Dear [LEGISLATOR NAME],
As a concerned citizen, I urge you to oppose SB3727 that will fuel unregulated abuses of the 340B Drug Pricing Program and further compound existing health care challenges for patients in Illinois. This legislation will not help patients who rely on 340B and will not solve challenges our neighbors face in accessing their medicines at the pharmacy counter.
The 340B Drug Pricing Program was designed to help low-income, under-insured, and uninsured patients access their medicines by requiring manufacturers to offer discounts to specific safety-net, non-profit hospitals, and federally funded clinics.
Over time, however, the 340B program has devolved into a profit-oriented business model where covered entities mark up the cost of medicines from the discounted price they received through 340B and pocket a sizeable sum. These abuses are leaving patients who rely on the program behind.
Today, limited guardrails and oversight within the 340B program allow these practices to go unchecked. Here in IL, only 50% of contract pharmacies are located in medically underserved areas and 2.14% of hospitals provide charity care below the national average.
Instead of enacting mandates that will allow unlimited and unregulated use of contract pharmacies in Illinois and harm the patient populations 340B was created to protect, I urge you to prioritize the health and safety of your constituents and support reforms that will actually help the most vulnerable people in our community access their medicines.
[Your comment here]
Thank you,
[Your name here]
