"Providers, manufacturers, and Congress should be concerned about these discriminatory contracts because they undermine the intent of Congress to support safety net providers through the 340B program," says CaptureRx executive and former U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin October 6, 2011—Groups representing 340B providers have asked pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) Prescription … [Read more...]
House’s Draft HHS Appropriation Would Cut OPA Funding in Half
340B office's spending would drop from $4.48 billion to $2.21 billion, with no mention of user fee.September 29, 2011—The full House Appropriations Committee today released a draft fiscal 2012 funding bill for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would cut funding for the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) by roughly 50 percent, from $4.48 million to $2.21 million. The draft bill and accompanying documents also appear not to mention the 0.1 percent user … [Read more...]
Court Ruling Might Put Some Hospitals’ 340B Status in Jeopardy
Dispute over where Medicare managed care belongs in the DSH calculation.September 27, 2011—A recent federal appeals court ruling on how Medicare managed care beneficiaries should be factored into a hospital's Medicare disproportionate share (DSH) patient percentage could potentially lead to hospitals being terminated from the 340B drug discount program—particularly in states with high Medicare managed care utilization. In Northeast Hospital … [Read more...]
GOP Leaders Ask HRSA for Details on 340B Oversight
Request comes as GAO releases a major report on the program.September 23, 2011—Three influential Republican members of Congress asked the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) yesterday for a detailed accounting of its oversight of the 340B drug discount program. Their Sept. 22 letter to HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield came to light this morning just hours before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a … [Read more...]
Senate Appropriations Committee Weighs in on 340B Program
Approves user fee and urges HRSA to address providers' concerns.September 23, 2011—The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a fiscal 2012 spending bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that includes a number of provisions affecting 340B stakeholders. As first reported in Monitor earlier this week, the committee has approved the first-ever user fee for providers enrolled in 340B. The 0.1 … [Read more...]
GAO: 340B Yields Benefits as Intended but Needs More Oversight
Long-awaited study is expected to have far reaching effect on program's future direction.September 23, 2011—All of the health care providers interviewed for an important new study of the 340B drug discount program say that the substantial savings they get by participating allow them to maintain services and reduce medication costs for patients, just as Congress intended when it created the program nearly 20 years ago. In a much-anticipated report mandated by … [Read more...]
Obama Seeks Rebates on Medicare Part D Drugs
President also calls for heightened scrutiny of Medicaid rebate calculations.September 20, 2011—President Obama released a $3 trillion deficit reduction plan yesterday calling for Medicaid-like rebates on Medicare Part D drugs provided to beneficiaries eligible for the program's low-income subsidy (LIS)—a group that includes all beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Brand-name drug manufacturers criticized the proposal as a "failed … [Read more...]