1. On Wednesday, the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee unanimously approved a bill that would eliminate the ability of CHCs (and other 340B providers) to retain 340B savings on drugs reimbursed under Medicaid managed care. While this bill would have no direct impact on CHCs in a handful of states (those without managed care and those that currently prohibit CHCs from keeping these savings), for CHCs in many states this provision would be extremely harmful. 340B provider groups – including NACHC, 340B Health, Ryan White Clinics, ACH, etc. – are working hard and collaboratively to block this provision when the full E&C Committee votes on it next Wednesday. While we are not yet calling for a national outreach effort on this issue, please keep your eye out for advocacy requests, particularly if you have a member on the E&C Committee. See page 3
2. During the same session on Wednesday, the E&C Health Subcommittee also approved the following proposals.
- Imposing 340B reporting requirements on DSH hospitals – and give HRSA the authority to impose similar requirements on CHCs and/or other 340B providers. This bill was approved on party lines, with all Republicans supporting it and all Democrats opposing.
- Providing two years of mandatory funding – with increases – for Section 330 and the National Health Service Corps. This was passed unanimously.
- Providing six years of mandatory funding for Teaching Health Centers. This was passed unanimously.
As with the Medicaid 340B issue, the full E&C Committee is scheduled to vote on these proposals next Wednesday, May 24. See page 4.
3. There is a new number for the national hotline for maternal mental health -- 833-TLC-MAMA. The hotline offers immediate access to professional counselors. Support is available in 60 languages, and by both call and text. See page 7.
And here are a few Recommended Action Items:
1. Please remind your CHCs with no on-house pharmacies that they have until next Friday, May 26 to log into 340B-ESP to identify the single contract pharmacy location where they will receive 340B-priced Merck drugs effective June 12. They must do this even if they have previously identified a single contract location on 340B-ESP. See page 5.
2. Is your state telling CHCs when their current Medicaid/CHIP patients are due for their eligibility renewals? If not, consider sharing this new CMS unwinding FAQ with them (see Q.19), as it clarifies that states can generally share this patient-level information with providers without violating confidentiality rules. See page 7.
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