Rural 340B Access Act of 2025

Bill: 119-hr-44
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1]
Introduced: 2025-01-03
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance

Health care coverage and access

Hospital care

Prescription drugs

Rural conditions and development
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-03
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Rural 340B Access Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill makes rural emergency hospitals (REHs) eligible to purchase drugs from manufacturers at discounted prices by participating in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) 340B drug pricing program. HRSA’s 340B program requires drug manufacturers that participate in the Medicaid program to sell certain outpatient drugs at discounted prices to entities listed as eligible under current law. Additionally, in 2020, Congress established REHs as a new Medicare provider designation for hospitals in rural areas providing emergency department services, observation care, and other outpatient medical and health services for which the annual per patient average length of stay does not exceed 24 hours. The bill adds qualifying REHs to the list of entities that are eligible to participate in the 340B program.&nbsp;</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 44 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Mr. Bergman (for himself and Mrs. Dingell ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to include rural emergency hospitals in the definition of a covered entity for purposes of the 340B drug discount program.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural 340B Access Act of 2025 . 2. Including rural emergency hospitals as covered entities for purposes of the 340B drug discount program Section 340B(a)(4) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 256b(a)(4) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (P) An entity that is a rural emergency hospital (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of the Social Security Act) that is owned or operated by a unit of State or local government, is a public or private non-profit corporation which is formally granted governmental powers by a unit of State or local government, or is a private non-profit rural emergency hospital which has a contract with a State or local government to provide health care services to low income individuals who are not entitled to benefits under title XVIII of the Social Security Act or eligible for assistance under the State plan under this title. .