New video: Why changes to the 340B program are essential for patients

The 340B program is confusing. That’s a fact that likely no one would question. In fact, it is often forgotten in broader discussions about our health care system even though it is the second largest federal prescription drug program. That’s a problem considering the ever-growing evidence that 340B isn’t working in the best interests of patients. If 340B worked as Congress intended, it could serve as a vital safety net for needy patients – but that isn’t the case today.

What is 340B? Who participates in 340B? Why don’t patients benefit from 340B? What are contact pharmacies? How do we fix 340B? A new video answers these questions and more.

According to a recent poll, 86% of voters agree that the 340B program needs to be fixed to better serve the most vulnerable patients. Luckily, there are some commonsense solutions to get this program back on track and focused on patients.

1. Establish transparency requirements and increase government oversight to hold 340B covered entities responsible for their use of program discounts
2. Identify a clear definition of a “340B patient” to monitor and ensure the intended patient groups are truly benefiting from the program
3. Reconsider the contract pharmacy policy as part of broader efforts to assess if uninsured, low-income patients have access to affordable medicines at 340B providers

These improvements would go a long way to fixing 340B and ensuring needy patients more directly benefit from the tens of billions of dollars in discounts that manufacturers provide on outpatient medicines through 340B.

Learn more about 340B.