[The following is a paid advertisement.]

For low-income and uninsured patients—and the nonprofit, safety net hospitals caring for them—rising costs pose significant challenges. Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are being squeezed by higher costs, which skyrocketed during the pandemic and have not come down since. Among Midwestern hospitals, drug costs climbed 22% between 2022 and 2025, while total expenses grew 10%.

Many of the patients hospitals serve are struggling to make ends meet. They face difficult choices like whether to pay for medication or a utility bill or whether to see a doctor or ignore worrisome symptoms. Hospitals and FQHCs serving low-income communities rely on the federal 340B program to reduce prescription costs for their patients, and to invest in lifesaving services.

Mount Sinai Hospital President Sameer Shah, PharmD, said rising costs lead patients to skip medications, delay refills, stretch pills and delay care. “For safety net hospitals like ours, 340B is really about access,” he said. “It helps keep clinics open, maintain pharmacy access and ensure patients stay on their medications.”

Stand with patients, hospitals and FQHCs: Pass House Bill 2371 SA 2 to protect 340B in Illinois. Learn more.