Opinion: An insider’s view of the myths and misconceptions behind 340B ‘reform’

I hardly recognize the 340B drug discount program when I read the pharmaceutical industry’s criticisms about it. They say that 340B has grown too big, is without oversight and transparency, and is in desperate need of reform. Having spent more than a decade working with this program at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs, I know that such attacks on the program are unfounded, unfair, and dangerous.

Established with bipartisan support in 1992, the requires drug manufacturers to provide discounts to certain safety-net providers as a condition of Medicaid and Medicare paying for manufacturers’ drugs. The program is not funded by taxpayer dollars but instead relies on manufacturers to provide discounts to safety-net providers. high-Medicaid nonprofit hospitals, federally qualified health centers, Ryan White clinics, and other federally funded clinics. Since 2010, pharmaceutical companies have experienced an increased responsibility to provide more discounts through 340B and began stepping up their criticism of the program.