UCLA Health: Good Stewardship of the 340B Program

340B By the Numbers

$43.1 million: Amount of savings realized from the 340B program in Fiscal Year 2018.

$87 million: Amount provided as charity care, in-kind health services, volunteer time, and health education training (FY 17).

$365 million: Cost of uncompensated care for Medi-Cal and Medicare patients (FY 18).

About Us
UCLA Health is a public academic medical system with hospitals in Los Angeles and Santa Monica and more than 180 outpatient medical practices throughout Southern California. As one of the largest health systems in the state and the largest solid organ transplant center in the country, we serve patients from Southern California and around the world. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is a Level I Trauma Center, providing local access to the highest level of critical care. With the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, we provide state-of-the-art patient care, train top medical professionals, and support pioneering research and discovery. UCLA Health is eligible to participate in the 340B program because our medical centers provide care to a disproportionate share of low-income Medicare and Medi-Cal (Medicaid) patients.

Benefits of the 340B Program
Savings realized through participation in the 340B program supports UCLA Health's ability to provide services to under- and uninsured patients, regardless of their ability to pay, and to address health care needs in our community. In addition to providing free and discounted prescription drugs to low-income patients, UCLA Health provides a variety of services to help care for the most vulnerable in our community. Among these services are:

Underwriting the cost of new promising new therapies such as CAR-T cell treatments.
Expanding access to specialized services and providing medical expertise in hospitals owned and operated by Los Angeles County and at local Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs).
Operating a specialized ambulance that provides on-site emergency response for stroke victims, allowing them to receive life-saving treatment faster.
Partnering locally with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to provide in-kind medical and behavioral health services to veterans and their families, and to help address the problem of chronic homelessness among veterans.
Establishing programs that provide free health screenings in public schools and at other locations throughout the community to benefit low-income populations and the homeless.
Subsidizing chemotherapy and immunotherapy for Medi-Cal and uninsured patients at on-site infusion centers and clinics.

Impact of Scaling Back the 340b Program
Scaling back the 340B Program would threaten UCLA Health's capacity to offer the services described above to our patients.