Capito Joins Colleagues in Reintroducing Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Certainty for the 340B Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would provide certainty to hospitals participating in the 340B drug discount program during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“Our health care safety net providers are needed now more than ever during the coronavirus pandemic, and the 340B program is an essential tool for them to stretch limited resources,” Senator Capito said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that will go a long way in helping to ensure that bureaucratic hurdles do not put care in jeopardy.”

The COVID-19 public health emergency resulted in many hospitals experiencing a reduction in inpatient hospital admissions of low-income Medicare and Medicaid patients, a critical metric in determining eligibility for the 340B program.

Though hospitals have started resuming elective procedures, and patients have begun returning to seek care, there is concern that as a result of the pandemic slowdown, some hospitals may not meet the required inpatient admission threshold to remain in the program for the following year.

This legislation, authored by U.S Senator John Thune (R-SD), would ensure that any previously participating hospital will be deemed eligible for any cost reporting period during which the public health emergency occurred.

“We thank Senators Thune, Stabenow, Portman, Baldwin, Capito and Cardin for their bipartisan leadership in protecting the health care safety net and 340B hospitals,” Maureen Testoni, president and CEO of 340B Health, said. “Safety-net hospitals, both rural and urban, are on the front lines of America’s response to the challenges of COVID-19, providing life-saving care and delivering new COVID vaccines into the arms of people across the country. Some 340B hospitals have had to make major changes to the way they operate, and the resulting changes in patient mix could endanger their ability to access 340B savings. This legislation is a lifeline to these providers and the patients they serve.”

Read the full text of the legislation here.

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