Hospital and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists are facing off as lawmakers scramble to finalize a year-end spending deal that could include changes to the controversial 340B program.
Hospitals want Congress to use the package to reverse a $1.6 billion cut to the program that the Trump administration finalized this fall, and which is set to take effect Jan. 1. Drugmakers don’t. And if the package does end or delay the cut, they want hospitals to disclose far more information about the discounts they get under the program, according to a half dozen lobbyists from both industries and several congressional staffers.
Both industries are ramping up the pressure on the issue as Congress works to finalize a short-term package that will fund the government beyond Dec. 22. Even the broad outlines of a deal that can pass both the House and Senate are still murky, but some lobbyists say the final package could also include funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
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