Ninety-three percent of hospitals responding to a recent survey conducted by 340B Health said they would struggle to maintain current levels of uncompensated care in the wake of drugmakers’ proposed rebate plan changes with respect to the federal 340B pricing program.
Here are five notes:
- Drugmakers including Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Sanofi have proposed replacing upfront 340B discounts with post-sale rebate models for some or all of their outpatient drugs.
- The survey, published July 18, involved 347 of 340B Health’s member hospitals and was conducted in February and March.
- According to the results, disproportionate share hospitals would face an average annual cost burden of $72.2 million under the rebate model, while critical access hospitals would carry an average of $1.7 million.
- Ninety-two percent of survey recipients reported they would have to scale back free and discounted medications at their outpatient pharmacies.
- The staffing impact would also be significant, with 86% of hospitals saying they expect layoffs or hiring freezes.
