December 3, 2012—Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), a leading advocate of expanding and improving the 340B drug discount program, announced that she will retire from Congress in February.
The 16-year veteran lawmaker is an original co-sponsor of the 340B Program Improvement Act (H.R. 2674), which in addition to extending 340B discounts to the hospital inpatient setting would lift the restriction on rural and free-standing cancer hospitals’ access to 340B pricing on orphan drugs.[ms-protect-content id=”2799″] Emerson introduced similar bipartisan bills to expand 340B in the 110th and 111th sessions of Congress.
A senior member of the powerful Appropriations Committee and Missouri’s longest-serving member of Congress, Emerson is leaving office to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. She was just re-elected to a ninth term in Congress in November.
On the Senate side, another long-time champion of the 340B program, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), is retiring when the current session of Congress ends.
“We are saddened to learn that Representative Emerson will be ending her service in Congress,” said Ted Slafsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access (SNHPA), which represents hospitals and health systems enrolled in the drug discount program. “She has been a champion of the 340B drug discount program and a steadfast supporter of safety-net hospitals. The Congresswoman has shown exemplary commitment to ensuring that safety-net hospitals can fulfill their missions to serve the country’s indigent patients. SNHPA commends her for her outstanding leadership and will miss her greatly.”[/ms-protect-content]