| The federal 340B drug pricing program allows health centers to purchase outpatient medications at a discount and invest the savings into patient care. Savings from the 340B program ensure health centers can provide affordable medications and comprehensive services to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. |
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| How does the 340B program advance the mission of community health centers? |
| By mission and statute, community health centers care for all patients that come through their doors, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. The 340B program supports the health center mission by allowing health centers to “stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.”1 |
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| How does the 340B program make medications more affordable for patients? |
| The 340B program allows community health centers to purchase outpatient medications at a discount. Even with the 340B discount, many patients would not be able to afford their medications. Health centers utilizes savings from the 340B program to discount medications beyond the 340B price, making them affordable for their low-income and uninsured patients. In Tennessee, 89% of patients have incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and 72% of patients have incomes below 100% of the FPL and 31% are uninsured.2 The 340B program ensures low income and uninsured patients can get the medications they need to treat their conditions. Health centers most commonly rely on 340B-priced medications to treat diabetes (94%), heart disease and high blood pressure (88%), and behavioral and mental health conditions (56%).3 |
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| How does the 340B program support community health center services? |
| Health centers integrate primary care with services such as dental, pharmacy, behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment, and OB services. The 340B program not only supports affordable medications for health center patients but allows health centers to sustain and expand integrated care. Health centers report the 340B program supports the following services including behavioral health services (59%), substance use disorder treatment (49%), dental (42%), OB/GYN care (30%).4 |
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| How does the 340B program allow health centers to innovate? |
| Under the health center model, interdisciplinary provider teams work together to address their patients' holistic needs. However not all providers or services are reimbursable. Eighty-seven percent of health centers use 340B savings to support non-billable services and providers such as community health workers, social workers, patient navigators, and clinical pharmacists.5 The team-based model of care relies on care coordination among providers and the provision of services that break down barriers to care for patients. Sixty-nine percent of health centers use the 340B program to expand services such as medication and care management and home care services. Forty-six percent of health centers support programs to address the non-clinical issues facing their patients by supporting transportation, food services, access to housing, and career support.6 Providing services such as these ensures patients are connected to resources and supports that influence their health outside of the clinic walls. |
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| What can you do to support 340B? |
The 340B program is a core program for community health centers, allowing them to advance mission of health centers to deliver affordable, comprehensive care to their patients.
Please reach out to your Members of Congress and urge them to support the 340B program to ensure health centers can continue to fulfill their mission of high-quality care for all who need it. |
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| [1] 340B Drug Pricing Program. (2022). Health Resources and Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.hrsa.gov/opa#:~:text=The%20340B%20Program%20enables%20covered,entities%20at%20significantly%20reduced%20prices. |
| [2] Tennessee Health Center Program Uniform Data System (UDS) Data. (2022). Retrieved 2022, from https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/data-reporting/program-data/state/TN |
| [3] National Association of Community Health Centers. (2020). How 340B Supports Health Center Patients. Retrieved from https://wsd-nachc-sparkinfluence.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/10/340B___FQHCs_-_101_one-pager_-_9-28-20.docx |
| [4] Ibid. |
| [5] Ibid. |
| [6] Ibid. |
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