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A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower covered part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

USA115th CongressS-348| Senate 
| Updated: 2/9/2017
Al Franken

Al Franken

Democratic Senator

Minnesota

Cosponsors (3)
Jack Reed (Democratic)Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democratic)Sherrod Brown (Democratic)

Finance Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Prescription Drug and Health Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries for covered prescription drugs that the CMS deems appropriate for negotiation based on: (1) program and per-beneficiary spending, (2) unit price increases over the preceding years, (3) initial launch price, (4) availability of similarly effective alternative treatments, (5) status of the drug as a follow-on to previously approved drugs, and (6) any other criteria determined by the CMS. If, after a one year period, negotiations with respect to a covered prescription drug prove unsuccessful, the CMS shall establish a price for the drug that is equal to the lesser of the price paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the price paid by the four largest federal pharmaceutical-drug purchasers. The CMS may (but is not required to) negotiate lower prices on behalf of Medicare and MA beneficiaries for other covered prescription drugs. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the CMS' negotiations. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation must test several specified models for negotiating drug and biological prices.
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Timeline
Jan 25, 2017

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 115-242
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Feb 9, 2017
Introduced in Senate
Feb 9, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • January 25, 2017

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 115-242
    Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.


  • February 9, 2017
    Introduced in Senate


  • February 9, 2017
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Health

Related Bills

  • HR 115-1776: To improve access to affordable prescription drugs.
  • S 115-1688: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate fair prescription drug prices under part D of the Medicare program.
  • S 115-771: A bill to improve access to affordable prescription drugs.
CancerCongressional oversightDrug therapyGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth care costs and insuranceMedical researchMedicarePrescription drugsPublic contracts and procurementVeterans' medical care

A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower covered part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

USA115th CongressS-348| Senate 
| Updated: 2/9/2017
Prescription Drug and Health Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries for covered prescription drugs that the CMS deems appropriate for negotiation based on: (1) program and per-beneficiary spending, (2) unit price increases over the preceding years, (3) initial launch price, (4) availability of similarly effective alternative treatments, (5) status of the drug as a follow-on to previously approved drugs, and (6) any other criteria determined by the CMS. If, after a one year period, negotiations with respect to a covered prescription drug prove unsuccessful, the CMS shall establish a price for the drug that is equal to the lesser of the price paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the price paid by the four largest federal pharmaceutical-drug purchasers. The CMS may (but is not required to) negotiate lower prices on behalf of Medicare and MA beneficiaries for other covered prescription drugs. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the CMS' negotiations. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation must test several specified models for negotiating drug and biological prices.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline
Jan 25, 2017

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 115-242
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Feb 9, 2017
Introduced in Senate
Feb 9, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • January 25, 2017

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 115-242
    Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.


  • February 9, 2017
    Introduced in Senate


  • February 9, 2017
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Al Franken

Al Franken

Democratic Senator

Minnesota

Cosponsors (3)
Jack Reed (Democratic)Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democratic)Sherrod Brown (Democratic)

Finance Committee

Health

Related Bills

  • HR 115-1776: To improve access to affordable prescription drugs.
  • S 115-1688: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate fair prescription drug prices under part D of the Medicare program.
  • S 115-771: A bill to improve access to affordable prescription drugs.
  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
CancerCongressional oversightDrug therapyGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth care costs and insuranceMedical researchMedicarePrescription drugsPublic contracts and procurementVeterans' medical care