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Between the lines: Politically, an age-restricted Medicare buy-in is about as moderate as it gets for Democrats in the age of "Medicare for All."

Hospitals that recently enrolled in the 340B drug pricing program saw greater increases in per-patient drug spend compared to non-340B hospitals, according to a Berkeley Research Group study funded by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a drug lobby.

A federal court has blocked the Trump administration’s cuts to a federal drug discount program, ruling that HHS does not have the authority to impose the steep pay reductions.

Over the past year, there has been a growing body of evidence that the 340B program doesn’t always best serve vulnerable or uninsured patient populations. Evidence has also raised questions about how some hospitals use the 340B program.

After mounting evidence from government watchdogs, academics, patient advocates, lawmakers, and concerned citizens that the safety-net 340B drug discount program was enriching hospitals at the expense of the low-income patients it was intended to serve, the American Hospital Association (AHA) finally announced new principles that they claim will ensure “good stewardship” of the program.

Enacted more than 25 years ago with bipartisan support, the 340B program was designed to help healthcare safety net providers deliver more affordable outpatient prescription drugs to vulnerable or uninsured patients.

The 340B drug discount program — a vital safety-net program created to help millions of vulnerable or uninsured patients receive care — is no longer benefiting many of the patients it was meant to serve. That’s according to mounting findings from congressional investigations, independent economists, and government watchdogs. Two new studies released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) add to these growing concerns, looking specifically at contract pharmacies and hospitals in the 340B program. GAO’s latest conclusions provide further evidence more must be done to fix the 340B program and bring it back to the original intent of helping patients.

The AIR340B Coalition issued the following statement in response to the new principles for good stewardship of the 340B program announced by the American Hospital Association (AHA) today.