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Florida picks up the pieces after Hurricane Milton; Georgia elected officials say Hurricane Helene was a climate change wake-up call; Hosiers are getting better civic education; the Senate could flip to the GOP in November; New Mexico postal vans go electric; and Nebraska voters debate school vouchers.

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Civil rights groups push for a voter registration deadline extension in Georgia, federal workers helping in hurricane recovery face misinformation and threats of violence, and Brown University rejects student divestment demands.

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Hurricane Helene has some rural North Carolina towns worried larger communities might get more attention, mixed feelings about ranked choice voting on the Oregon ballot next month, and New York farmers earn money feeding school kids.

FL patients face uncertain future amid prescription drug program challenges

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Tuesday, August 27, 2024   

The 340B Drug Pricing Program, designed to provide discounted medications to safety-net hospitals and clinics serving low-income populations, is at the center of a heated legal and legislative battle nationwide.

Drug manufacturers have imposed restrictions on contract pharmacies, limiting access to discounted medications.

Additionally, critics argue that predatory practices by pharmacy benefit managers have created further challenges.

Mick Pickos - chief pharmacy officer with Central Florida Health Care - described being sandwiched between drug manufacturers and benefit managers, which he says are creating obstacles that limit the program's effectiveness.

"They know we get discounted medications through the 340B program, so when we try to contract with them, they pay us less," said Pickos. "So those savings, instead of going to patients in our community, those savings are going to line the pocket of the PBMs, and that was never the intent of the 340B program."

Pharmacy Benefit Managers and drug manufacturers argue that the 340B program has expanded beyond its original purpose - leading to misuse, increased costs, and negative impacts on the broader health-care market.

However, Pickos contended that Federally Qualified Health Centers must follow strict rules, and he calls for legislative reform to prevent the program from being undermined.

John Sivon - chief strategy officer with Langley Health Services in Sumterville - acknowledged that there have been instances of misuse or what can be viewed as profit-driven practices by some entities participating in the 340B program, especially by certain hospitals that are not subject to the same stringent rules as Federally Qualified Health Centers.

"The rules and regulations which govern our Community Health Center also governs what we are allowed to do with our 340B savings," said Sivon, "and what we are allowed to do is reinvest those savings into services for our patients."

Sivon said they are often guilty by association, and drug manufacturers have unfairly limited their access to those discounted drugs - which restricts their ability to provide critical health-care services, such as behavioral health, dental care and mobile clinics.




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