What Illinois 340B Advocates Did To Succeed on 340B Protections

After years of lobbying and advocacy work by 340B covered entities, the Illinois state legislature approved major 340B legislation earlier this year that protects 340B contract pharmacy access and prohibits drugmaker claims on data demands. Thomas Yu, system director of ambulatory pharmacy services at Sinai Chicago, discusses the campaign that made this legislative victory possible and what covered entities in other states can learn from this success.Joint Events Showed Unity Among Safety-Net ProvidersYu says two “340B Saves Lives” days of action in Chicago helped drive support for the legislative effort. Under the leadership of an association representing community health centers, the events brought together covered entities, patients, lawmakers, and others to show a united front on the issue of protecting 340B.The Story of 340B Resonated With Lawmakers, Not Numbers AloneYu reiterates that statistics and data can be helpful in making the case for 340B but that the story of 340B is what can swing votes. Focusing on community impact and how covered entities use their savings to benefit patients was much more effective at imparting the importance of legislation to protect access to those savings.Illinois Legislation Was a Compromise The legislation package in Illinois contains 340B reporting requirements for covered entities in the state. Yu argues that this compromise was necessary as the contract pharmacy and claims data provisions would have been a “nonstarter” without that addition. However, because the numbers go to the state for a one-time report and because drugmakers also must report data, he says the overall legislative package still makes for a big win for covered entities and patients in the state.ResourcesIllinois Legislature Delivers Contract Pharmacy Victory for 340B HospitalsProposed Medicare Pay Cut for 340B Drugs Would Be Much Deeper Than 2018-2022 Reductions