Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 225.
Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019
This bill alters several programs and requirements relating to the prices of prescription drugs under Medicare and Medicaid.
Among other things, the bill
requires drug manufacturers to issue rebates to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for certain drugs covered under Medicare for which the average manufacturer price increases faster than inflation;
requires drug manufacturers to issue rebates to the CMS for discarded amounts of certain single-dose drugs covered under Medicare, based on information reported by providers;
reduces the annual out-of-pocket spending threshold, and eliminates beneficiary cost-sharing above this threshold, under the Medicare prescription drug benefit;
requires the CMS to publish certain information, as reported by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), relating to drug discounts and rebates, and payments between PBMs, health plans, and pharmacies;
requires pass-through pricing models, and prohibits spread-pricing, for payment arrangements with PBMs under Medicaid; and
increases the maximum rebate payable by drug manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on September 25, 2019. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 25, 2019: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 225.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced it on September 25, 2019. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 25, 2019, 2542 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2542 days ago, on September 25, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers