The leaders of more than 700 hospitals and health systems have written to congressional leaders to ask them to protect the section 340B prescription drug discount program.
The letter states that
We are concerned about recent regulatory actions that have reduced the reach of this vital program and by legislative proposals that would undo more than two decades of bipartisan work to preserve the health care safety net.
The letter explains that
In 2015, 340B hospitals provided $26 billion in uncompensated and unreimbursed care to low-income and rural patients in need. That represented 60 percent of all such care delivered in the U.S. even though our hospitals comprise only 38 percent of all acute care hospitals operating in our country. Because of the savings from 340B, we are able to offer vital but often money-losing services including obstetrics, trauma care, opioid addiction treatment, and HIV/AIDS care. In many rural communities, 340B savings are the difference between hospitals staying open and closing. We do all of this without using taxpayer dollars.
And
Efforts to reduce the scope of the 340B program would not reduce the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. and would weaken nonprofit hospitals’ ability to serve patients who often have nowhere else to turn.
Go here to see the complete letter.