August 340Buzz: Heat waves and summer surprises

▤ Summary

I spoke at this year’s conference early in the morning on Aug. 3 to a full house, presenting some “Lessons from the Field” on what the recent history of 340B tells us about its immediate future, from the perspective of both strategic trends and legislative activity. I also spent some time drawing lines between anti-340B legislation introduced in previous Congresses and what could await our swath of the healthcare safety net if the GOP regains control over the House, Senate or both in January. Meanwhile, we just saw the Biden administration, following last month’s Supreme Court decision, pull the plug on cuts to Medicare Part B drug reimbursements to 340B entities that had been in place since 2018, pledging to reinstate average sales price plus 6%. Most meaningful was speaking with a woman named Veronica and sharing the bullhorn with her as we chanted “protect 340B!” Her story proves that 340B goes beyond providing just low-cost drugs — it saved her life and put her back in the workforce. • One-hundred eighty-one U.S. House members — 144 Democrats and 37 Republicans — signed a letter urging the Biden administration to impose civil monetary penalties against the 18 drug manufacturers enacting contract pharmacy restrictions.

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