The 340B Drug Pricing Program was established with a clear and important mission: to help safety-net healthcare providers stretch scarce resources and expand access to quality care for underserved patients.

For Black communities, low-income families, and medically underserved populations across Illinois, that mission remains as vital today as when the program was first created.

Supporting the goals of the 340B program, however, does not require accepting expansion without accountability. Before Illinois broadens the program through Illinois HB 2371, Gov. JB Pritzker should ensure the transparency and oversight measures proposed in Illinois HB 4327 are enacted.

Across Illinois, persistent health disparities continue to affect communities of color. Too many families struggle to afford prescription medications, preventive care, and treatment for chronic illnesses. Every dollar generated through programs intended to reduce these inequities should be accounted for and invested in ways that produce measurable benefits for the patients the program was designed to serve.

Today, Illinois policymakers and the public lack a complete understanding of how 340B revenues are generated, distributed, and reinvested. While supporters of expanding the program point to its value in strengthening safety-net providers, there is limited public reporting showing precisely how savings are used, particularly within increasingly complex arrangements involving contract pharmacies and third-party administrators.

Before expanding the program, Illinois should answer several straightforward questions. How much revenue is generated through 340B participation? How much of those resources directly support patient care? Which healthcare services are funded? Which communities benefit the most? And are the program’s financial benefits reaching the vulnerable patients the program was originally created to serve?

These are not anti-340B questions. They are accountability questions.

Illinois HB 4327 offers an opportunity to answer them. By increasing transparency and reporting requirements, the legislation would provide lawmakers, taxpayers, healthcare providers, and the public with greater visibility into how the program operates and how its financial benefits are utilized. Greater transparency can strengthen public confidence, identify successful practices, and ensure that resources are advancing health equity rather than simply expanding program revenues.

The importance of transparency is increasingly being recognized at the federal level as well. On July 1, the House Ways and Means Committee approved HR 9504, the Tax Exempt Hospital Transparency Act, which would require additional reporting from tax-exempt hospitals regarding the community benefits they provide in exchange for their tax-exempt status.

Notably, three members of the Illinois congressional delegation serve on the Ways and Means Committee. We call on our Illinois representatives to take the lead on the growing national conversation about accountability, transparency, and ensuring nonprofit healthcare institutions fulfill their public mission. Today’s action reinforces that transparency is not a partisan issue, it is a prerequisite for sound public policy.

Sound public policy should be driven by evidence, not assumptions. Transparency equips policymakers with the information necessary to evaluate what is working, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions about future reforms. If the data demonstrates that the 340B program is effectively improving patient access and strengthening healthcare services in underserved communities, that evidence will only reinforce public support for its continued success.

Health equity and accountability are not competing priorities they are complementary principles. Communities that have historically experienced barriers to quality healthcare deserve more than good intentions. They deserve assurance that programs created on their behalf deliver meaningful and measurable results.

Illinois now has an opportunity to demonstrate thoughtful leadership. Before expanding the 340B program through State HB 2371, Pritzker should first embrace the transparency and accountability measures contained in State HB 4327.

Doing so will allow policymakers and the public to make informed decisions based on facts rather than assumptions and ensure that any future expansion truly advances the program’s original mission.

When programs are designed to serve our most vulnerable residents, transparency should never be viewed as a barrier to progress. It should be the foundation upon which responsible public policy is built.

Theodis Pace is president of the NAACP Illinois State Conference of Branches.