The 340B Prescription Drug Program Needs Reform

The 340B program was created to help low-income and vulnerable patients afford their medications by requiring drug manufacturers to offer discounts to qualifying hospitals and clinics. But over time, this program has strayed from its original purpose.

Today, some of the nation’s largest and wealthiest hospital systems are reaping massive benefits from 340B. They purchase discounted drugs and bill insurers at full price, often without passing those savings on to the patients the program was meant to serve. Meanwhile, rural clinics and safety-net providers that actually care for underserved populations are being left out.

This is not just a policy problem, it’s also a moral one. Programs funded by taxpayers should benefit the public. When a hospital uses 340B savings to pad its margins while patients continue to struggle with high costs, something is wrong.

For patients like me, the stakes are deeply personal. I was born with a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot, and since my first surgery as an infant, I’ve depended on a pacemaker and now an implanted defibrillator. These devices must be surgically replaced every few years—procedures that are anything but affordable. My health insurance is always costly, but without it, those surgeries would be out of reach. Programs like 340B are supposed to ease the burden on patients facing high medical costs, yet too often the savings never make their way to people like me.

That’s why we need Congress to step in and restore accountability. Let’s ensure 340B savings go directly toward lowering drug prices for patients. Let’s make sure community providers get the support they need to keep their doors open. Patients deserve to see the benefit of programs like 340B, not just read about it in a hospital’s financial report.

It’s time to put the “safety net” back in safety-net care.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jason Moir – Lincolnton, NC