Patients Rising is urging Ohio lawmakers to vote NO on Senate Bill 198, legislation that would increase prescription drug costs for patients, employers, and taxpayers across the state.
In a letter to Senate Health Committee Chairman Stephen Huffman, we outline three critical concerns:
Higher Patient Costs: The bill allows healthcare providers to purchase medications at 340B discounted prices but charge patients full retail prices—with no requirement to pass savings on to patients. Ohio patients already lose out on $275 million annually in rebates that should lower their costs.
Insurance Premium Increases: If passed, SB 198 would drive up health insurance premiums by an estimated $51 million per year for Ohio employers and workers—at a time when residents are already facing massive rate hikes in 2026.
Out-of-State Pharmacy Exploitation: The bill enables covered entities to expand pharmacy operations far outside Ohio—even as far as Hawaii—while more than half of 340B pharmacies supposedly serving low-income Ohioans are located in affluent neighborhoods rather than the vulnerable communities the program was designed to help.
Patients Rising supports meaningful 340B reform that enhances transparency, ensures accountability, and guarantees that program savings actually benefit patients in need—not healthcare entities’ bottom lines.