Naomi Lopez, Senior Fellow at the Goldwater Institute, joined the Grand Canyon Times Podcast to discuss the need for more transparency in the federal 340b program.

Established in 1992, the 340b program enables eligible hospitals and healthcare organizations to purchase outpatient medications at significantly discounted prices.

Hospitals participating in the 340B program can use the savings to fund for essential services and programs, such as free or low-cost medication assistance, expanded access to healthcare, and community outreach initiatives.

Participating hospitals, however, “often extend their 340B discounts to clinics in well-off communities, where they can charge privately insured patients more than those on Medicaid,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

“In some cases, the program appears to be bolstering profits in well-off areas more than it is underwriting services in less-privileged neighborhoods,” said the Journal article.

Naomi Lopez is a Senior Fellow at the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, specializing in health care issues. She previously was the Vice President for Healthcare Policy at Goldwater. She also has worked for the Illinois Policy Institute, Pacific Research Institute and the Cato Institute.

This episode can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.