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340B was a lifesaver for Correy Bell. At the March 1 rally for House Bill 2371 SA 2—the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act—she shared how the program helped her. With chronic asthma and bronchitis, Bell relies on an inhaler. One time, she found herself in a frightening scenario: out of town for work with no inhaler. Bell, a comedian, owns her own business and is uninsured.

“I went to the pharmacy. I was confident that I had figured it out and then they told me the price,” she said. “The cost was so high that I actually had to stop and make a decision that no one should have to make: Do I pay a bill, or do I keep the lights on, or do it get my medicine?… That’s when I was able to find out about 340B.”

A long-time patient at Family Christian Health Center, Bell said the 340B drug discount program helped her access needed medication at a price she could afford—“no confusing hoops, no shame, no judgment, just real savings when I needed it the most,” she said.

State Rep. Anna Moeller, lead House sponsor of HB 2371 SA 2, told the 500 people at the rally that the bill is “a vital step in protecting access to affordable medications for patients who rely on this program. And it doesn’t cost Illinois one dime.”

Stand with patients like Correy Bell. VOTE YES on HB 2371 SA 2this session. Learn more.