Rural 340B Access Act of 2025
Current understanding
The Rural 340B Access Act of 2025 would add rural emergency hospitals (REHs) — a Medicare provider category created in 2023 for converted rural hospitals — to the list of covered entities eligible to purchase covered outpatient drugs at 340B discounted prices through HRSA. If enacted, REHs could access the same manufacturer ceiling-price discounts already available to critical access hospitals and other rural safety-net providers, potentially lowering their drug acquisition costs and supporting the financial viability of the REH conversion pathway. Status: introduced.
Evidence log
- 2026-10-29 — To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to ensure the equitable treatment of covered entities and pharmacies participating in the 340B drug discount program, and for other purposes.: cross-connection with 340b-drug-discount-program: Both bills modify 340B program participation: the rural bill extends eligibility to rural emergency hospitals, while this bill addresses equitable treatment of existing covered entities and their contract pharmacies. (novelty: 2)
- 2025-01-03 — Rural 340B Access Act of 2025: cross-connection with critical-access-hospitals: Critical access hospitals are already 340B-eligible; the bill extends similar drug discount access to the newer rural emergency hospital category, which serves overlapping rural markets. (novelty: 2)