Improve Drug Access in Underserved Communities

At-risk communities deserve equal access to lifesaving drugs and medicines. Healthcare money and resources are being misdirected and the patients who need medicine the most are suffering the consequences. Programs meant to provide underserved communities with the healthcare they need are failing.

For example, Congress enacted Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act, created under Section 602 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992. Section 340B requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to enter into an agreement with the HHS Secretary in exchange for having their drugs covered by Medicaid and Medicare Part B. Under the agreement, the manufacturer provides front-end discounts on covered outpatient drugs purchased by specified providers, called covered entities, that serve the nation’s most vulnerable patient populations.

A policy like 340B sounds extremely beneficial, however, for-profit hospitals are taking advantage of the program, keeping the money for themselves, and failing to provide any financial relief to the people 340B is meant to serve.

340B and other discount-related legislation should be core programs at the center of a health equity agenda, provided money reaches the patients and clinics that are serving the communities most at risk.