Faces of 340B

Michael Asip, San Mateo, CA

Michael Asip was a successful real estate executive in New York when his fortunes reversed. Dead broke, he divorced and moved to northern California to start a new business.  Then he suffered a heart attack in 2012. Michael needed treatment but he didn’t have insurance. He landed at San Mateo Medical Center. There, he received all manner of clinical services – paid for, in part, by 340B. Michael saw a cardiologist and an endocrinologist. “Every time they bang on one end of the old pipe, the other end leaks,” he says. Asip receives several maintenance medications, including Metformin to control blood sugar and Crestor for cholesterol control, at half price thanks in part to 340B. Despite his setbacks, Michael remains cheerful. He truly appreciates the quality of care at the medical center and 340B’s role in his recovery. “They’ve got more services than you can count and they’re all covered,” he says. “The 340B program helps buoy the system and hold it up.”