RWC-340B – Who We Are and Our Patient-Centric Mission

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RWC-340B – Who We Are and Our Patient-Centric Mission

RWC-340B Overview

Ryan White Clinics for 340B Access (RWC-340B) is a national association of HIV/AIDS healthcare clinics and providers serving on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Our members receive funding under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which provides support for entities that primarily render services to low-income, underinsured, and/or uninsured people living with HIV/AIDS. Because they receive these grants, Ryan White providers are eligible to participate in the federal 340B drug pricing program (340B program).

340B Works, As Intended

Under the 340B program, safety net providers like Ryan White clinics purchase drugs at discounted prices, dispense or administer those drugs to their patients, and, if the patient has insurance, bill the payer for the drugs. Because the drugs cost less through the 340B program than they would otherwise cost, Ryan White clinics are able to “stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.” H.R. Rep. No. 102-384(II), at 12 (1992).

Comprehensive Services Are Key

The comprehensive services that Ryan White clinics provide range from free or discounted medications to critical wrap-around support services for people living with HIV including case management, dental and behavioral health, and housing assistance. Because Ryan White clinics often receive no insurance payments for these services, they depend on the 340B program to underwrite the cost of providing this care to their patients. Importantly, the 340B program allows Ryan White clinics to provide these expanded services without any cost to taxpayers. RWC-340B strongly opposes any attempts to restrict the reach of the 340B program. The 340B program enables Ryan White clinics to maximize their resources to support the full HIV/AIDS care continuum, from diagnosis, to linkage to care, to medication adherence and viral suppression.

340B Drives Viral Suppression, Integral in Fight to End HIV

Data shows Ryan White clinics are extremely successful in helping patients achieve sufficient viral suppression so that they cannot transmit HIV. In fact, in 2021, 89.7% of Ryan White clinic clients receiving HIV care were virally suppressed, exceeding the national average of 66%. The clinics’ higher rate of success is directly attributable to their participation in the 340B program. RWC-340B is committed to protecting the 340B program so that its members may continue to provide life-saving treatments to those who need it most. The 340B program is essential to RWC-340B’s mission of caring for low-income and vulnerable patients living with HIV/AIDS and ending the transmission of HIV.