Fair Pricing and Trnspncy/340B Covered Entities.

SB 517 requires hospitals and clinics participating in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program (which provides discounted drugs to safety-net providers) to charge patients no more than the actual cost they paid for those drugs. It also mandates annual public reporting by these "covered entities" starting in 2026, including details on 340B drug costs, payments received from insurers/patients, charity care expenses, and contracts with pharmacies. The bill specifies that covered entities must disclose how many prescriptions used 340B drugs, whether they passed discounts to low-income patients, and financial details about pharmacy partnerships. All submitted reports will be posted online by the state health department for public access. This law directly affects North Carolina hospitals and clinics enrolled in the federal 340B Program.