January 17, 2018

The Honorable Bill Cassidy, M.D.
U.S. Senate
520 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.  20510

Dear Senator Cassidy,

On behalf of the more than 1 million members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I am writing to endorse S. 2312, the Helping Ensure Low-income Patients have Access to Care and Treatment or HELP ACT.

 CCAGW has been concerned about the 340B drug discount program for some time and believes it needs to be reformed so that it is returned to its original purpose of helping uninsured, indigent people get access to discounted outpatient pharmaceuticals.  Like many government programs, the 340B program has grown exponentially, become wasteful, and often fails to serve the patients it was intended to help.

CCAGW supports your legislation because it places a two-year moratorium on new enrollment of certain hospitals and associated sites, giving time for Congress, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees the program, to evaluate it, and make necessary reforms.  The bill increases oversight and transparency in the program by requiring annual data by certain current covered entities and hospitals such as the number of patients they serve under the program; whether the patients are covered by health insurance; the pharmaceutical savings acquired; information on contracted services; and, charity care.

Your legislation is especially timely given the introduction of similar legislation in the House of Representatives, H.R. 4710, and the January 10, 2018, release of the House Energy and Commerce report, “Review of the 340B Drug Pricing Program,” which lays out several weaknesses in program oversight and administration and makes recommendations on how to improve the program.

Again, thank you for introducing S. 2312.  CCAGW is pleased to support your efforts on restoring integrity to the 340B program.

Sincerely,

Tom Schatz
President, CCAGW

Click for PDF