Consumer Health & Advocacy Information Network

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

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

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/

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/

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/

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.

03/23/2026

Former State Rep. Leslie Herod is officially joining CHAIN as our Executive Director - and we’re getting to work.

Healthcare is too expensive, too confusing, and too often stacked against patients. CHAIN is building people-powered, consumer-first change across multiple states.

This role expands Leslie’s already impactful portfolio across policy, community, and the arts - and brings her proven, results-driven leadership to CHAIN at a moment when consumers need real solutions.

Take action - share your story + get involved at unbreakhealthcare.org

And follow us - like, comment, and share to help spread the word!

03/20/2026

Medical debt is one of the cruelest parts of our healthcare system - it punishes people for getting sick.

Massachusetts lawmaker Senator John J. Cronin introduced a bill that would:
- Ban the sale of medical debt to debt buyers
- Cut interest on medical debt from 12% to 3%
- Prohibit medical debt from showing up on credit reports

This is what consumer-first policy looks like: protecting patients from predatory collections and keeping a health crisis from turning into a financial one.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/boston/news/massachusetts-medical-debt-bill/

09/16/2025

Comprehensive Report Cites MA Hospital Among Worst Charitable “Taker” Hospitals

The widely respected Lown Institute highlighted which ‘non-profit’ hospitals make the most in tax benefits and give the least in charitable care.

MA’s Mass General Brigham hospital system is among the ten worst ‘takers’, taking in more than $461m in tax breaks than it gives in charity care.

Our most vulnerable patients pay the price for this mass abuse of so-called non-profit tax status. Tax break monies are supposed to go to charity care, not fatten hospital profits.

Let’s Work Toward Fairer Healthcare Together

Of 2,425 nonprofit hospitals evaluated, 80% spent less on financial assistance and community investment than the estimated value of their tax breaks