DPC Urges North Dakota Senators to Reject 340B Expansion

The Domestic Policy Caucus wrote to members of the North Dakota Senate today, urging them to vote against HB1473, which would expand the flawed federal 340B program.

In the letter, DPC wrote, in part,

North Dakota’s unique pharmacy ownership rules are just another reason you should have serious concerns about HB1473. According to the Pioneer Institute, 51% of current 340B contract pharmacies are located outside of North Dakota (of the 254 contract pharmacies, 129 are outside North Dakota). Supporting this bill will mean there will be unlimited contracts with the likes of CVS and Walgreens in Moorhead or East Grand Forks--or as far away as Hawaii. Meaning, those 340B funds meant to help North Dakotans are leaving the state. Layer that on top of what we heard in earlier testimony on this bill some days ago, where one hospital system official talked about using North Dakota's 340B funds to provide a variety of services in Minnesota...

Disappointingly, HB1473 does not have any transparency provisions, which House members had said they wanted added to the bill when they voted it out of the first chamber...

Read the full letter here.