“We've had a couple of patients who've gotten high hospital bills, and we said, they're a 340B hospital, why don't you ask them about their 340B charity care program? And one of them did, and their bill went away.” Terry Wilcox, Chief Patient Advocate of Patients Rising, shared this experience during the 2026 State of the Patient Summit on Capitol Hill. It raises an important question: How many patients are paying medical bills they might qualify for assistance with simply because no one told them what help was available? The exchange was part of a larger discussion about the 340B drug discount program, including whether hospitals are doing enough to ensure the patients they serve benefit from it. Hear the conversation from the Summit in the latest episode of the State of the Patient podcast:

A hospital can qualify for a federal drug discount program based on the patients it serves, yet the financial benefits don't necessarily flow to the hospitals caring for the greatest number of patients in need. That's one of the concerns raised by Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio, a neurosurgeon at UC San Francisco, during a discussion about the 340B program at the State of the Patient Summit. The conversation explored how hospitals generate revenue from discounted medications, why some health systems benefit more than others and what proposed reforms could mean for patients. Hear what Dr. DiGiorgio and fellow panelists had to say in the latest episode of the State of the Patient podcast. Listen to the episode:

The next medical milestone may hit a wall. A new federal proposal intended to protect U.S. national security could have unintended consequences for patients waiting on the next generation of treatments. The Treasury Department wants to restrict certain American investments in biotechnology overseas, but its proposed definition is broad enough to include medicines, vaccines and promising new therapies. Patients Rising supports protecting American interests, but national security policies must be precise enough to avoid creating unnecessary barriers to medical innovation. Terry Wilcox, Chief Patient Advocate of Patients Rising, is calling on Treasury to reconsider how broadly the restrictions are written before the rule is finalized. Read more about what's at stake for patients and why Patients Rising is speaking out:

Patients fighting cancer shouldn't lose access to options that spare them hours of treatment time. Thank you @RepYoungKim for signing the bipartisan letter asking @CMSGov to drop its fixed-dose combination proposal.

Cancer care is hard enough. Thank you @RepMarkAlford for signing the bipartisan letter urging @CMSGov to withdraw its fixed-dose combination proposal and keep less burdensome options within reach.

Hours in an infusion chair, or a few minutes for an injection. For patients, that difference is real. Thank you @RepLaurelLee for asking @CMSGov to withdraw its fixed-dose combination proposal.

Patients fighting cancer shouldn't lose access to options that spare them hours of treatment time. Thank you @RepAndyBarr for signing the bipartisan letter asking @CMSGov to drop its fixed-dose combination proposal.

Treasury's COINS Act proposal puts vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and other medicines in the same prohibited category as dangerous biological agents. Treasury has asked how to narrow it. Our answer: target threats to our country, not the treatments patients are waiting for. Read more: