Consumer Health & Advocacy Information Network

Consumer Health & Advocacy Information Network Our mission is to link the best ideas on stemming the rising cost of health care with people passion

The Colorado Health Advocacy and Information Network (CHAIN) is a start-up non-profit organization focused on advancing bio-science innovation and market-based ideas for improving access and affordability of health care.

A federal judge in North Dakota recently blocked a state 340B law and wrote that the program is being abused to create a...
05/08/2026

A federal judge in North Dakota recently blocked a state 340B law and wrote that the program is being abused to create a “windfall to hospital conglomerates and participating pharmacies” - not relief for patients.

Discounted 340B drug purchases reached a record $81.4 billion in 2024, even as families still struggle with high out-of-pocket costs. Consumers deserve proof that 340B savings are helping patients - not padding hospital profits.

Read the piece in WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/340b-drug-program-healthcare-daniel-traynor-north-dakota-abbvie-pharma-hospitals-6e3650be
Read more about why CHAIN is fighting for accountability: www.unbreakhealthcare.org

Leslie Herod, Executive Director of CHAIN, said it plainly in the CT Examiner: Connecticut consumers deserve better than...
05/05/2026

Leslie Herod, Executive Director of CHAIN, said it plainly in the CT Examiner: Connecticut consumers deserve better than more 340B abuse.

SB 494 would move the state in the wrong direction by expanding 340B-related provisions that Leslie argues could cause financial and medical harm to vulnerable patients, while giving more room for hospitals to profit off a broken system.

Connecticut lawmakers should not reward abuse, protect a scam, or vote yes on SB 494. Patients need accountability - not another giveaway to hospitals.

Read Leslie’s op-ed: https://ctexaminer.com/2026/05/04/connecticut-consumers-deserve-better-than-more-340b-abuse/

Colorado patients deserve lower drug costs and reliable access to the medicines they need to stay alive. But as CHAIN Ex...
05/01/2026

Colorado patients deserve lower drug costs and reliable access to the medicines they need to stay alive. But as CHAIN Executive Director Leslie Herod writes in Colorado Politics, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) has delivered zero savings for consumers while creating real concern for patients who rely on life-saving drugs - especially rare disease patients with few treatment options.

At CHAIN, we believe affordability should never come at the expense of access. It’s time to pursue real solutions that help patients instead of putting their care at risk.

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/04/30/protect-patient-access-to-life-saving-drugs-guest-column/

04/23/2026

Connecticut families are getting ripped off.

The 340b program was meant to help vulnerable patients afford lifesaving medications.
Instead? Hospitals buy drugs at deep discounts, charge patients full price, and pocket the difference.

That’s not healthcare. That’s a rip-off.
And SB494 could make it worse.

Patients deserve transparency.
Patients deserve relief.
Patients deserve better.

See what’s really happening and call/email your legislators to tell them to vote NO on SB494: https://www.unbreakhealthcare.org/sb494

At a recent Connecticut committee hearing, a UConn Health executive said the quiet part out loud - confirming what many ...
04/22/2026

At a recent Connecticut committee hearing, a UConn Health executive said the quiet part out loud - confirming what many have long suspected: hospitals are not using the 340B program the way the public was promised.

340B was supposed to help vulnerable patients by passing along deep drug discounts. Instead, too many hospitals keep the profits while patients and families get stuck paying more.

Connecticut lawmakers should reject SB 494 and stop giving hospitals more room to cash in on a program that was meant to serve patients, not pad bottom lines: https://www.unbreakhealthcare.org/sb494

Read Senator Heather Somers full piece here: https://www.courant.com/2026/04/12/opinion-backdoor-politics-is-driving-up-health-care-costs-in-connecticut/

04/17/2026

SB 494 is a giveaway to hospitals at a time when Connecticut families are struggling with high health care costs. In a recent committee hearing, State Representative Tammy Nuccio and Senator Heather Somers challenged a UConn Health executive on the 340B program - exposing how these drug discounts are too often diverted away from the vulnerable patients they were meant to help.

The video says a lot: when lawmakers asked direct questions, the excuses started falling apart. Connecticut should not double down on a broken system that rewards hospitals while patients pay more.

Tell your lawmakers to vote no on SB 494: https://www.unbreakhealthcare.org/sb494

Health care costs in Connecticut keep rising - and SB 494 would make things worse. As Connecticut Senator Heather Somers...
04/15/2026

Health care costs in Connecticut keep rising - and SB 494 would make things worse. As Connecticut Senator Heather Somers writes in her recent op-ed, this bill would move the state in the wrong direction. Instead of lowering costs for patients, SB 494 would protect and expand the broken 340B program, which has become a hospital money-making scam with little accountability.

In a recent Connecticut committee hearing, lawmakers even heard a UConn Health executive effectively admit what many already suspect: hospitals are not using 340B the way the public was promised. The program was meant to help vulnerable patients by passing along drug discounts - but too often, hospitals keep the savings and patients see none of the benefit.

Tell your Connecticut lawmakers to reject SB 494 and stop helping hospitals cash in while families keep paying more: https://www.unbreakhealthcare.org/sb494

Read Senator Somers' full piece here: https://www.courant.com/2026/04/12/opinion-backdoor-politics-is-driving-up-health-care-costs-in-connecticut/

No one should have their wages garnished because they had a medical emergency. Colorado’s HB26-1267 would have strengthe...
04/01/2026

No one should have their wages garnished because they had a medical emergency. Colorado’s HB26-1267 would have strengthened protections for patients by requiring notice, screening for discounted care or public coverage, and reasonable payment plans before medical debt collection moves forward - with damages available when creditors violate the law.

Unfortunately, this bill was killed in committee yesterday.

Getting sick should not mean getting pushed deeper into financial crisis, including having wages garnished, and taking out loans that will be paid off over the course of a lifetime. We must do better.

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-bill-bar-debt-collectors-seizing-wages-homes-medical-debt/

Hospitals benefiting from federal 340B drug discounts should not be turning around and suing patients with cancer. But a...
03/31/2026

Hospitals benefiting from federal 340B drug discounts should not be turning around and suing patients with cancer.

But a new analysis from National Consumers League found 75% of 340B hospitals allowed legal action against patients, compared with 62% of non-340B hospitals, raising serious questions about whether these savings are reaching the people the program was meant to protect.

Patients fighting cancer should not also be fighting wage garnishment, liens, or ruined credit.

https://nclnet.org/new-report-340b-cancer-hospitals-more-likely-to-pursue-aggressive-medical-debt-collection/

CHAIN applauds the National Black Caucus of State Legislators for ratifying HHS-26-03, “Improving the Section 340B Drug ...
03/26/2026

CHAIN applauds the National Black Caucus of State Legislators for ratifying HHS-26-03, “Improving the Section 340B Drug Affordability Program,” sponsored by Rep. Billy Mitchell from Georgia.

This resolution makes clear that 340B should work for the patients and communities it was meant to serve - with stronger transparency, accountability, and a real focus on affordability for uninsured and underinsured people.

Thank you to the leaders moving this important work forward.

https://nbcsl.org/public-policy/resolution/hhs-26-03/

03/24/2026

If you or a loved one are facing medical debt and you’re ready to fight back, here are two powerful steps you can take now:

1️⃣ Tell your story - we’re collecting stories statewide to show leaders how hospital financial practices impact patients: https://www.unbreakhealthcare.org/get-involved

2️⃣ Get help - there are groups across the country who can provide guidance & resources (please drop any other great resources in the comments):
📍MA: https://hcfama.org/hcfas-helpline/
📍CO: https://cohealthinitiative.org/resources-for-consumers/
📍CT: https://www.211ct.org/

You deserve care - not a lifetime bill.

Address

Denver, CO

Website

https://bsky.app/profile/unbreakhealthcare.bsky.social

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