STATEMENT ON FEDERAL APPEALS COURT DECISION REGARDING MEDICARE CUTS TO 340B HOSPITALS
WASHINGTON, D.C.— The following statement is from 340B President and CEO Maureen Testoni:
“We are deeply disappointed by and concerned about the decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit allowing discriminatory Medicare Part B payment cuts to continue for many hospitals participating in the 340B drug pricing program. These cuts of nearly 30% have caused real and lasting pain to safety-net hospitals and the patients they serve. Keeping these cuts in place will only deepen the damage of forced cutbacks in patient services and cancellations of planned care expansions. These effects will be especially detrimental during a global pandemic.”
“340B enjoys strong, bipartisan support in Congress, where many House and Senate members are on the record opposing this harmful payment policy. We again call on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to abandon its ill-considered strategy of singling out safety-net hospitals for pay reductions and restore fairness and common sense to Part B payments. The 340B program enables safety-net hospitals, health centers, and clinics to stretch their scarce resources to serve more patients and provide more needed services. These hospitals provide 60% of all uncompensated care in the U.S. and account for 75% of all Medicaid hospital services. 340B discounts help cover some of these costs without using a single taxpayer dollar.”
Contact: Richard Sorian at richard.sorian@340bhealth.org or 202-536-2285.