Why is 340B important for farmworkers?
The cost of prescription medications, in addition to numerous other barriers to care, often prevents migrant and seasonal farmworkers from obtaining the medicine they need. In previous years the North Carolina Farmworker Health Program (NCFHP) spent a large percentage of its fee-for-service (FFS) budget on pharmaceutical transactions; in 2007, drug costs were nearly 40% of the FFS budget, or over $204,000. Currently using the federal 340B drug pricing program through partnerships with local pharmacies and health contract sites across the state, it is estimated that NCFHP will spend just $12,000 for the same amount of medications while increasing farmworkers’ access to prescription medications, a critical component of the provision of quality, comprehensive health care.
