SPRINGFIELD — Safety-net healthcare providers across Illinois are celebrating the General Assembly’s approval of two significant measures aimed at protecting and strengthening the federal 340B Drug Discount Program, calling the action a major victory for patients, community health centers, and hospitals throughout the state.

The Illinois General Assembly recently passed House Bill 2371, known as the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act, along with House Bill 4327, legislation directing the Illinois Department of Insurance to conduct a comprehensive study of the 340B program and its role in the state’s healthcare system.

Together, providers say the measures help preserve access to affordable medications while giving policymakers a clearer understanding of how the program supports healthcare services in communities across Illinois.

The 340B program allows eligible hospitals and community health centers to purchase outpatient medications at discounted prices and reinvest those savings into patient care. Providers have increasingly raised concerns about restrictions imposed by pharmaceutical manufacturers on the use of contract pharmacies, which many healthcare organizations rely upon to dispense medications to patients.

According to the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA), passage of HB 2371 ensures manufacturers cannot cut off contract pharmacy access that community health centers depend on to make the program function effectively.

“Those protections have real consequences for real patients,” IPHCA said in a statement. “It means health centers can keep providing access to affordable medications and reinvesting those savings into care, staffing, and services for people who have nowhere else to go.”

IPHCA President and CEO Ollie Idowu described the legislation as a patient-centered victory that came despite significant pressure from pharmaceutical manufacturers.

“Today, our legislative champions stood strong in the face of intense industry pressure to put patients first,” Idowu said. “Because of their courage and leadership, 1.5 million Illinoisans who rely on community health centers will continue to have access to the affordable medications and comprehensive services they need to live healthy lives.”

Hospital leaders echoed those sentiments. Illinois Health and Hospital Association President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi said the legislation protects access to care for vulnerable patients while preserving services that rely on 340B savings.

“For more than three decades, the 340B program has served as a critical lifeline,” Wilhelmi said. “Helping hospitals expand access to affordable medications, support chronic disease management, enhance behavioral health services, and address longstanding disparities in care.”

Wilhelmi added that the legislation also improves transparency and accountability surrounding the program, helping policymakers and the public better understand how savings are reinvested to meet community health needs.

Supporters say HB 4327 complements those protections by requiring a formal study of the 340B program in Illinois. The measure directs the Department of Insurance to evaluate how the program operates and report its findings to lawmakers.

IPHCA officials said the study will provide “a more complete picture of the program and its impact on communities across the state,” helping inform future policy decisions.

Provider organizations credited Rep. Anna Moeller and Sen. Dave Koehler for leading the legislation through both chambers, while also thanking House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Senate President Don Harmon, and bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate for supporting the effort.

With Illinois now joining more than 20 states that have enacted protections for the 340B program, healthcare providers say the votes on HB 2371 and HB 4327 represent a critical step toward preserving access to medications and strengthening healthcare services for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents.