Gem State Wire

There are 34 Idaho hospitals participating in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program.

This program is a federal initiative that enables eligible hospitals and healthcare organizations to purchase outpatient medications at significantly discounted prices.

Established in 1992, the program aims to provide financial relief to healthcare providers serving vulnerable populations, allowing them to stretch their scarce resources and reach more eligible patients.

Hospitals participating in the 340B program can use the savings to fund essential services and programs, such as free or low-cost medication assistance, expanded access to healthcare, and community outreach initiatives.

Participating hospitals, however, "often extend their 340B discounts to clinics in well-off communities, where they can charge privately insured patients more than those on Medicaid,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

"In some cases, the program appears to be bolstering profits in well-off areas more than it is underwriting services in less-privileged neighborhoods,” said the Journal article.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced a bill in 2023 that he said would ensure "that organizations are transparent about how they use resources from” the 340B program.

"The 340B Drug Pricing Program is supposed to help low-income and uninsured Americans afford their medicine, but some are taking advantage of the program at the expense of vulnerable patients,” said Kennedy.

Hospital	City
Bear Lake Memorial Hospital	Montpelier
Benewah Community Hospital	St. Maries
Bingham Memorial Hospital	Blackfoot
Bonner General Hospital	Sandpoint
Boundary Community Hospital	Bonners Ferry
Caribou Medical Center	Soda Springs
Cascade Medical Center	Cascade
Cassia Regional Hospital	Burley
Clearwater Valley Hospital	Orofino
Franklin County Medical Center	Preston
Gritman Medical Center	Moscow
Kootenai Hospital District	Coeur Dalene
Lost Rivers District Hospital	Arco
Madison Memorial Hospital	Rexburg
Minidoka Memorial Hospital	Rupert
North Canyon Medical Center	Gooding
Oneida County Hospital	Malad City
Power County Hospital District	American Falls
Shoshone Medical Center	Kellogg
St. Alphonsus Medical Center Nampa	Nampa
St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center	Boise
St. Luke's Elmore Medical Center	Mountain Home
St. Luke's Jerome	Jerome
St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center	Twin Falls
St. Luke's McCall	McCall
St. Luke's Nampa Medical Center	Nampa
St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center	Ketchum
St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center	Boise
St. Mary’s Hospital	Cottonwood
Steele Memorial Medical Center	Salmon
Syringa Hospital District	Grangeville
Teton Valley Hospital	Driggs
Walter Knox Memorial Hospital	Emmett
Weiser Memorial Hospital	Weiser