Ensuring that the 340B Drug Pricing Program Enables Health Centers to Meet Their Mission
By allowing the purchase of drugs at a discounted price, the 340B Drug Pricing Program enables health centers and other covered entities to funnel the resulting savings into serving more patients with highly complex clinical and social needs than they otherwise could. Health centers depend on the 340B program to meet their mission, putting every dollar received back into the communities they serve. Despite this, there are still misunderstandings about the use of the program and we may see federal action to reform the program in 2025.
Over the past year, Advocates for Community Health (ACH), in partnership with Equiscript, launched and hosted a 340B Learning Collaborative. The Collaborative had two distinct but interrelated goals: first, to help support members in managing the most effective 340B programs possible, and second, to understand how to most effectively advocate for the program with federal policymakers.
Over the collaborative sessions, a select group of ACH members engaged in dynamic, discussion-based sessions that featured a variety of technical and political 340B experts. Participants engaged in meaningful conversations around in-house and contract pharmacy strategies, rebate models, and federal advocacy efforts to shape the future of the 340B program.
A full-day kick-off session laid the groundwork for deeper exploration of the 340B program. Attendees heard about the legislative history of the program and the evolving state & federal political landscape. Online follow-up sessions aimed to address the operational side of 340B – specifically the challenges surrounding contract pharmacy arrangements, distribution methods, and in-house pharmacy management. Participants heard from several different vendors in the space to learn about the operational solutions available, including how CHCs can incorporate specialty pharmacy services to expand access and improve health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations.
One session was held in person during the ACH Annual Member Meeting in Washington, DC, and focused on federal advocacy. Members received a detailed briefing on current congressional and administrative actions impacting the 340B program, along with a practical overview of federal advocacy ahead of their Capitol Hill visits.
The collaborative also received updates about 340C, ACH’s legislative proposal that was designed by community health center officials to benefit health centers and other covered entities, while also answering the call for greater transparency in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. 340C does not favor one type of covered entity over another; all are welcome to opt in in order to gain protections from actions that reduce 340B’s value.
This Learning Collaborative, among other efforts, highlights ACH’s commitment to strengthening and protecting the 340B program to allow CHCs to benefit from the program as intended.