Competing bills aim for elusive changes to drug discount program
A fight over the 340B drug discount program is intensifying on Capitol Hill as lawmakers weigh competing proposals to reshape the program amid escalating tensions between hospitals and drugmakers. Reps. Scott Peters, D-Calif., and John Joyce, R-Pa., introduced a comprehensive bill that would block drug companies from using rebate models for four years and establish a definition of 'patient.' A bipartisan Senate working group led by Sens. Jerry Moran and Tammy Baldwin is expected to release another draft before the August recess. Outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy introduced a discussion draft viewed as more favorable to drugmakers, allowing greater flexibility in delivering discounts. The 340B program requires drug manufacturers to sell deeply discounted drugs to safety net providers, but critics say some large hospital systems use it to pad profits rather than serve communities.
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