Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that the purpose of the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256b) is to stretch scarce Federal resources and help safety net providers maintain, improve, and expand patient access to health care services by requiring drug manufacturers, as a condition of participation in the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and the Medicare program under part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395j et seq.), to provide discounts at the point of purchase to covered entities that serve a disproportionate share of low-income and underserved patients or medically vulnerable patients.