Summer Wrap Up: 340B Updates and End of Year Momentum
The conversation about 340B reform has entered a new phase. The summer brought a couple of new bills and a discussion draft, signaling a new wave of action focused on examining how and when the 340B program should be reformed. As the fall approaches, momentum remains strong for reforms that inject transparency and accountability, and require direct patient benefit.
The Alliance to Save America’s 340B Program (ASAP 340B) has been paying close attention to activities in Washington that signal an increased focus on 340B and its impact on patients across the country. Our partnership is made up of community health centers, patient, provider, and consumer advocates, and leaders from the biopharmaceutical industry and we continue to work together to educate on the need to ensure the 340B program supports true safety-net providers and the communities they serve. As we do so, ASAP 340B’s policy principles remain the central pillars of our work and our vision for an improved 340B program that serves patients as intended.
These principles include:
Make 340B a true safety-net program for patients.
Ensure 340B prescriptions are offered to low-income and uninsured patients at a discount.
Update the 340B patient definition with strong safeguards.
Establish clear criteria for 340B contract pharmacy arrangements.
Prevent middlemen and for-profit entities from profiting off the 340B program.
Update and strengthen 340B hospital eligibility requirements.
Address standards for 340B child sites and subgrantee eligibility.
Create a neutral 340B claims data clearinghouse.
Facilitate public reporting on 340B program data.
Establish enforceable rules and enhance federal administration and oversight of the 340B program.
Our policy principles reflect the consensus of our 48 coalition members and serve as a guide for efforts to realign the 340B program with its original mission. As we review new legislative proposals and ideas, we hold these principles as a comprehensive set of ideals that should be addressed by policymakers looking to make changes to the 340B program.
For more information about ASAP 340B’s policy principles, visit the What We Stand For page on our website and download a more detailed description of our core principles.
As Congress continues to evaluate potential reforms, the ultimate goal remains clear: a stronger, more transparent, and more sustainable 340B program that supports true safety-net providers while expanding access to affordable medicines and healthcare services for the patients who need them most.