Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Hospitals

‘Not medically necessary:’ Colorado family fights back after $94K air ambulance bill
Approved, DENVER7, State

‘Not medically necessary:’ Colorado family fights back after $94K air ambulance bill

By  Jaclyn Allen | Denver7 PUEBLO, Colo. — Bob Taylor woke up in a panic on July 7, 2022. He was having severe chest pains and worried it was another heart attack. He and his wife, Marjean, were staying at a friend's cabin about an hour's drive from the nearest hospital in Alamosa. After Marjean drove him to the San Luis Valley Health Hospital, Bob was told he was having his second heart attack in four months. Doctors said he needed a higher level care than they could provide and that they would transport him by helicopter to the nearest facility. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER7
Profit or patients? The 340B fight that could close Colorado hospitals
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Profit or patients? The 340B fight that could close Colorado hospitals

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice If Senate Bill 25-071 fails, Julie Lonborg says her neighbor could end up driving from Lone Tree to Thornton just to pick up a single prescription. That’s not some theoretical what-if. It’s a glimpse into what hospital leaders say is already unfolding in Colorado, especially for patients in rural communities who depend on access to affordable medication through the federal 340B drug discount program. SB25-071, known as the Colorado 340B Contract Pharmacy Protection Act, aims to stop pharmaceutical manufacturers from placing limits on where and how hospitals dispense discounted drugs to vulnerable patients.  Supporters say it’s the only thing standing between local hospitals and a set of restrictions from out-of-state...
A fight over 340B, the fed’s program to cut hospitals’ prescription drug costs, is coming to the Colorado Capitol
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

A fight over 340B, the fed’s program to cut hospitals’ prescription drug costs, is coming to the Colorado Capitol

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun Colorado is on the verge of a massive fight at the state Capitol over a multibillion-dollar federal health care program you may have never heard of. The program goes by the super-unsexy name of 340B, and it pulls together a battle royale of health care industry heavyweights: hospitals versus pharmaceutical companies versus pharmacies versus insurers. Advocates on various sides of the issue have already started sponsoring panel discussions and buying up ads (one of which appeared this week in The Colorado Sun’s politics newsletter, The Unaffiliated). And that’s before the legislation this fight is all about has even been introduced. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN