H.E.A.L.S. of the South joined 15+ organizations in Oklahoma to raise concerns surrounding Senate Bill 1628 and House Bill 3379, both of which expand the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. The program, initially designed to meet the needs of low-income and uninsured patients, is now in need of comprehensive federal reform to ensure it’s meeting the needs of the communities it was designed to serve.
Recent investigative reports, including a notable piece by the New York Times, shed light on how certain entities have exploited the 340B Program, prioritizing financial gains at the expense of community service. This exploitation has led to a detrimental impact on healthcare access, particularly in impoverished and underserved areas, contradicting the program’s initial mission. Oklahoma faces similar challenges, with over 20% of its residents lacking health insurance, necessitating urgent attention to these proposed bills.
We cannot expand the federal 340B program until it works as originally intended. We hope Oklahoma legislators will instead ensure patient access to a full range of therapeutic options by supporting House Bill 3368 that would curb harmful practices, like Alternative Funding Programs, and supporting House Bill 2853 to directly lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, like sharing the significant discounts and rebates insurers and PBMs pocket as profit with patients at the point-of-sale.