{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mckinley.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2932", "McKinley Leads Effort to Protect Access to Low Cost Drugs", "2020-11-13", "2020", "2020-11", "Republican", "House", "WV", "David McKinley", "M001180", "mckinley.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative David B. McKinley, P.E., (R-W.Va.) led a letter with over 200 Members of Congress to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar expressing concerns over attacks on the 340B drug pricing program, which helps hospitals and clinics that serve poor and rural communities.Protecting access to prescription drugs for underserved communities should be a top priority. Yet, recent actions taken by big pharmaceutical companies and middlemen could jeopardize the ability of hospitals to provide critical services,said Rep. McKinley.Our letter shows strong bipartisan opposition to this action and hopefully will convince HHS to intervene.\r\nOverhauling the longstanding 340B discount model and replacing it with a rebate system will make it significantly more difficult and expensive for all 340B hospitals and community clinics to access 340B savings, and could result in denial of 340B pricing altogether,said Maureen Testoni, President and CEO, 340B Health.We appreciate the leadership of Rep. McKinley and this large, bipartisan group of lawmakers standing up for 340B and urging Secretary Azar to take immediate action to protect 340B hospitals and the low-income patients who depend on them.\r\nRecently, Kalderos, a third-party vendor, announced that its working with pharmaceutical manufacturers to change how health care providers receive 340B drugs by shifting from a discount to a rebate formula. This rebate model could threaten the ability of providers to access 340B savings and care for low-income and rural patients.\r\nIn the letter, McKinley and the other Members wrote:\r\nWe are deeply concerned by reporting that Kalderos, a third-party vendor, is working with pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking to change how covered entities receive 340B drugs by shifting from a discount to a rebate formula,wrote the Members.On September 8th, Kalderos announced the launch of 340B Pay, a software system it claims, allows manufacturers, covered entities and Medicaid agencies to work together to effectuate discounts compliantly and efficiently. However, unilaterally forcing 340B participants to purchase drugs at list price and then request rebates would give drug manufacturers tremendous leverage over covered entities.\r\nThis platform could make participation in 340B more difficult for covered entities, effectively reshaping the 340B program in a way that only serves manufacturers' and these third-party vendors' financial interests. These tactics open the door for significant compliance issues, threatening to put manufacturers in violation of their statutory obligation to provide 340B pricing,added the Members.\r\nTo read the letter,click here.\r\n\r\nBackground:\r\nSince 1992, the 340B program has used mandated discounts offered by drug manufacturers to help hospitals and other covered entities provide discounted drugs and lifesaving services to their patients.\r\nThis recent attack just shows another way big pharmaceutical companies are trying to eliminate 340B. Already this year Eli Lilly and Company and other drug manufactures have worked to undermine the 340B drug pricing program by no longer offering drug discounts to safety net providers.\r\nDuring McKinley's time in Congress, he has consistently fought to protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program:\r\n \r\n    On September 28, 2017, McKinley led a bipartisan letter sent to CMS Administrator Seema Verma urging the administration to withdraw its harmful proposal to cut the 340B Drug Pricing Program. This letter was signed by 228 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who understand that protecting access to affordable care is a top priority.\r\n \r\n \r\n    On November 1, 2017, CMS cut the reimbursement rate for Medicare Part B drugs purchased by certain hospitals covered under the 340B program by around $1.6B. Last Congress, McKinley introduced H.R. 4392, which would completely negate the effects of this rule.\r\n \r\n \r\n    On September 14, 2020, McKinley leda group of 243 Members of Congress in sending a letter to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar requesting an immediate response is taken to ensure covered safety net providers continue to receive crucial 340B drug discounts.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mckinley.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2932"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4563989825546741, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}