COA Issues Updated Position Statement Calling for Patient-Centered Reform of the 340B Drug Pricing Program

Updated Statement Calls for Greater 340B Transparency, Accountability, and Reforms to Ensure Discounts Benefit Vulnerable Patients as Congress Intended

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) today released an updated position statement on the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, reaffirming its support for the program’s original purpose while calling for comprehensive reforms to ensure that 340B discounts directly benefit vulnerable patients.

- Read the updated COA 340B Position Statement

“COA has long supported the original congressional intent behind the 340B program,” said Johnetta Blakely, MD, MS, MMHC, chief medical officer of COA. “Congress created 340B to help safety-net providers care for uninsured, underinsured, indigent, and medically vulnerable patients by making medicines more affordable. Over time, however, the program has evolved in ways that increasingly benefit institutions instead of the patients it was intended to serve. COA’s updated position statement is about restoring that patient-centered purpose of the 340B program.”

The updated position statement emphasizes that 340B should remain focused on improving access to affordable medications for vulnerable patients while addressing structural flaws that have contributed to provider consolidation, higher health care costs, and reduced access to independent community oncology practices.

Among its core principles, COA calls for:

- 340B discounts to follow eligible patients rather than institutions.
- Greater transparency and accountability regarding how 340B savings are generated and used.
- Clear, enforceable definitions of eligible patients and qualifying activities.
- Stronger oversight and auditing to ensure program integrity.
- Reform of contract pharmacy arrangements and elimination of financial incentives for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other third-party intermediaries that do not directly provide patient care.

The statement reflects the significant evolution of the 340B program since Congress established it in 1992, incorporating recent research on the program’s growth, increasing complexity, and unintended consequences. The statement also incorporates recent scholarship examining the legislative history of 340B, concluding that Congress created the program to preserve access to discounted medicines for safety-net providers following the enactment of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, not to create a broad institutional financing mechanism for hospitals.

The statement also highlights growing evidence that the current structure of 340B has contributed to hospital acquisition of physician practices, migration of care to higher-cost hospital outpatient departments, and increased costs for patients, employers, taxpayers, and the Medicare program.

COA position statements provide the organization’s official policy recommendations on key issues affecting cancer care. Developed with input from physician leaders and subject matter experts and approved by the COA Board of Directors, they help inform policymakers, health care stakeholders, and the public on issues critical to preserving patient access to community oncology. The full library of COA position statements, including the updated 340B position statement, are available at: https://mycoa.communityoncology.org/publications/position-statements/

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About the Community Oncology Alliance (COA): The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that patients have access to the highest-quality, most affordable, cutting-edge cancer care close to home. COA is the only national organization focused exclusively on community oncology, where the majority of Americans with cancer receive treatment. Through policy, advocacy, and community, COA works to support independent community oncology practices and advance access to high-quality cancer care for patients nationwide. Learn more at www.communityoncology.org.

Drew Lovejoy
Community Oncology Alliance
info@coacancer.org

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