Throughout my years of public service, I have been guided by a simple principle: strong communities depend on healthy families. Whether working with organizations that support children, seniors, and vulnerable populations or serving in the legislature, I have seen firsthand how access to quality health care can shape the well-being of an entire community.

I have also witnessed the challenges many families face when trying to access affordable care. Rising health care costs, provider shortages, and financial pressures on hospitals and clinics continue to affect communities across our state. These realities are why I have worked to support policies that strengthen our health care system and preserve access to care for those who need it most.

That is what brings me to the 340B drug discount program.

Created by Congress in 1992, the program is based on a straightforward partnership. Pharmaceutical manufacturers receive access to lucrative Medicare and Medicaid markets, and in exchange, they provide discounted medications to hospitals, community health centers, and other providers that serve vulnerable and underserved populations.

Participation in 340B is completely voluntary for pharmaceutical manufacturers. When they participate, covered entities are able to use the savings generated through the program to reinvest in patient care. Those resources help providers stretch limited budgets, expand services, improve access to medications, purchase medical equipment, support outreach efforts, and serve more patients. Importantly, all of this occurs without costing taxpayers an additional dime.

For many health care providers, particularly those serving low-income, rural, and medically underserved communities, 340B has become an essential tool for maintaining services and meeting patient needs. It allows hospitals and clinics to do more with less while continuing to provide care regardless of a patient’s financial circumstances.

Unfortunately, in recent years, pharmaceutical manufacturers have increasingly attempted to restrict access to the program by limiting how covered entities can utilize contract pharmacies and access discounts that Congress intended them to receive. These actions threaten the ability of providers to fully realize the benefits of the program and ultimately jeopardize services that patients rely upon every day.

That is why lawmakers took action this year.

I was proud to sponsor a comprehensive health care package that included important protections for the 340B drug discount program. The legislation passed with broad bipartisan support because lawmakers recognized what was at stake. This was not about politics. It was about protecting patients, supporting providers, and preserving access to care in communities across our state.

Health care providers made clear that pharmaceutical manufacturers were increasingly undermining a program that has successfully supported vulnerable patients for more than three decades. Without these protections, hospitals, clinics, and community providers could face growing challenges in delivering affordable medications and critical health services.

The legislation reflects our state’s commitment to ensuring that pharmaceutical companies cannot unilaterally change the rules of a program established by Congress. It protects the ability of providers to continue serving families, seniors, children, and individuals who depend on them for care.

While Congress created the 340B program, states increasingly find themselves responsible for preserving its effectiveness and ensuring patients continue receiving its benefits. When communities are at risk of losing access to health care services, standing by is simply not an option.

Some critics claim that protecting 340B represents government expansion or unnecessary spending. The reality is quite the opposite. The program does not require new taxpayer funding. Instead, it allows providers to maximize existing resources through a framework that has worked successfully for decades. By helping providers remain financially sustainable, 340B strengthens local health care systems and reduces pressure on already strained public resources.

The real question is whether pharmaceutical manufacturers should be allowed to weaken a program that Congress established and that communities have come to depend upon.

I believe the answer is no.

By protecting the 340B drug discount program, we are protecting access to care, strengthening local health care providers, and ensuring that families can continue receiving the services they need close to home. We are standing up for patients and preserving a program that delivers meaningful benefits to communities without increasing taxpayer costs.

Protecting 340B is more than a policy decision. It is a commitment to the health and well-being of the people we serve. I am proud to support that mission and will continue working to ensure this important program remains available for future generations.

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