HR 44 · 119th CongressIn Committee

Rural 340B Access Act of 2025

Latest updateJan 3, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Health

Sponsor

Jack Bergman

Introduced

January 3, 2025

Latest action

January 3, 2025

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

The 340B drug discount program, established under the Public Health Service Act, allows certain health care facilities to purchase medications at significantly reduced prices from pharmaceutical manufacturers. These discounted drugs help covered entities stretch limited budgets and serve uninsured and low-income patients. Currently, the program defines "covered entities" to include hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and other safety-net providers, but rural emergency hospitals—a newer category of facility created to serve remote communities—are not explicitly included in this definition, leaving them unable to access the program's cost savings.

The Rural 340B Access Act amends Section 340B(a)(4) of the Public Health Service Act to add rural emergency hospitals to the list of covered entities eligible for the drug discount program. The bill specifies that rural emergency hospitals qualify if they are owned or operated by a unit of state or local government, are public or private nonprofit corporations formally granted governmental powers by a state or local government, or are private nonprofit rural emergency hospitals with a contract with a state or local government to provide health care services to low-income individuals without Medicare coverage or state Medicaid eligibility.

Once enacted, rural emergency hospitals meeting these criteria will immediately become eligible to register with the 340B program and begin purchasing discounted medications from participating pharmaceutical manufacturers. The change requires no new federal funding, as it simply extends existing program infrastructure to a new category of provider. Rural emergency hospitals will gain access to the same drug pricing discounts available to other covered entities, potentially reducing their medication costs and allowing them to reinvest savings into patient care and community health services in underserved areas.

Key Provisions

1Amend the Public Health Service Act to include rural emergency hospitals as covered entities under the 340B drug discount program.
2Establish eligibility for rural emergency hospitals that are government-owned, government-operated, or nonprofit entities with government contracts to serve low-income uninsured patients.
3Enable rural emergency hospitals to purchase medications at discounted prices from pharmaceutical manufacturers through the existing 340B program infrastructure.

★ Why this matters

Rural emergency hospitals will gain access to significantly discounted drug prices, reducing their medication procurement costs. This allows these facilities to allocate more resources to patient care and community health services in remote areas. The change expands the safety-net provider base eligible for federal drug discount benefits without requiring new appropriations or program restructuring.

● Who this affects

Rural emergency hospitals in underserved communities, particularly those operated by state and local governments or nonprofit organizations; low-income and uninsured patients in rural areas who depend on these facilities for emergency care; pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the 340B program; state and local health departments overseeing rural emergency hospitals; rural communities with limited access to other hospital services.

Bill Text

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<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 44

 To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to include rural 
emergency hospitals in the definition of a covered entity for purposes 
                   of the 340B drug discount program.

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2025

  Mr. Bergman (for himself and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to include rural 
emergency hospitals in the definition of a covered entity for purposes 
                   of the 340B drug discount program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural 340B Access Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. INCLUDING RURAL EMERGENCY HOSPITALS AS COVERED ENTITIES FOR 
              PURPOSES OF THE 340B DRUG DISCOUNT PROGRAM.

    Section 340B(a)(4) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
256b(a)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
                    ``(P) An entity that is a rural emergency hospital 
                (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of the Social 
                Security Act) that is owned or operated by a unit of 
                State or local government, is a public or private non-
                profit corporation which is formally granted 
                governmental powers by a unit of State or local 
                government, or is a private non-profit rural emergency 
                hospital which has a contract with a State or local 
                government to provide health care services to low 
                income individuals who are not entitled to benefits 
                under title XVIII of the Social Security Act or 
                eligible for assistance under the State plan under this 
                title.''.
                                 <all>

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448 tracked

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448

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448

Kristen McDonald Rivet

D-Michigan · District 8

No position

The public record does not contain any explicit statements about the Rural 340B Access Act of 2025. The representative's visible positions focus on tax relief for working families, affordable housing/living costs, SNAP benefits, farm bill support, and addressing the Flint water crisis. While these suggest a focus on affordability and constituent services, they do not directly indicate a position on this specific pharmaceutical pricing/rural healthcare access bill. Without explicit statements, voting history on this bill, or clear policy alignment data, a neutral stance is appropriate with low confidence due to insufficient information.

Rural 340B Access Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

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Rural 340B Access Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

Where House representatives currently stand

Support

Opposition

No Position

Party Positions

Democratic Party

Republican Party

Take Action

Active Organizations