II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 709 

To establish an interactive dashboard to allow the public to review information 

on the price and utilization of prescription drugs purchased by Federal 

programs. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2019 

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish an interactive dashboard to allow the public 

to review information on the price and utilization of 

prescription drugs purchased by Federal programs. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prescription Drug 

5 Pricing Dashboard Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING DASHBOARD. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

8 Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec9 retary’’) shall establish, and annually update, an interVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:04 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S709.IS S709

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•S 709 IS

1 active internet website-based dashboard, through which 

2 patients, clinicians, researchers, and the public can review 

3 information on the price and utilization of prescription 

4 drugs purchased by Federal programs, and view pricing 

5 trends over time. 

6 (b) CONTENT.— 

7 (1) GENERAL INFORMATION.—The internet 

8 website established under subsection (a) shall pro9 vide at least the following information with respect 

10 to a drug: 

11 (A) The brand and generic name. 

12 (B) Consumer-friendly information of the 

13 drug’s uses and other relevant clinical informa14 tion. 

15 (C) The manufacturer. 

16 (D) For each Federal program (which 

17 shall include the Medicare program under title 

18 XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

19 1395 et seq.), the Medicaid program under title 

20 XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 

21 et seq.), the Federal Employees Health Benefits 

22 Program established under chapter 89 of title 

23 5, United States Code, and any other Federal 

24 program, as determined by the Secretary), the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•S 709 IS

1 following information regarding program spend2 ing for each drug: 

3 (i) The average Federal and, as appli4 cable State, spending per dosage unit in 

5 the preceding 2 fiscal years. 

6 (ii) The percentage change in spend7 ing on the drug per dosage unit from the 

8 preceding year, and to the extent feasible, 

9 from the preceding 5 to 10 fiscal years. 

10 (iii) The change in average spending 

11 per dosage unit in the preceding 2 fiscal 

12 years. 

13 (iv) The annual growth rate in aver14 age spending per dosage unit in the pre15 ceding 5 fiscal years. 

16 (v) Total spending for the preceding 

17 fiscal year. 

18 (vi) The number of individuals receiv19 ing such drug under the program in the 

20 preceding fiscal year. 

21 (vii) Average spending on the drug 

22 per beneficiary for the preceding fiscal 

23 year. 

24 (viii) With respect to a drug covered 

25 under part B of such title XVIII the averVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:04 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S709.IS S709

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•S 709 IS

1 age sales price as determined under section 

2 1847A of the Social Security Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 1395w–3a) for the preceding fiscal 

4 year. 

5 (ix) Consumer-friendly information 

6 about the average, highest, and lowest out7 of-pocket cost for the drug (such as copay8 ment or coinsurance amounts) for an indi9 vidual enrolled in a State plan under such 

10 title XIX or the Medicare program under 

11 such title XVIII (including parts B and D 

12 of such title) in the preceding fiscal year or 

13 in the preceding plan year in the case of 

14 part D of such title, including such costs 

15 under such part before, during, and after 

16 the coverage gap described in subpara17 graphs (C) and (D) section 1860D–2(b)(2) 

18 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

19 1395w–102(b)(2)). 

20 (x) Such additional information per21 taining to Federal expenditures on, or con22 sumer out-of-pocket costs for, drugs, as 

23 the Secretary determines appropriate. 

24 (2) HIGHLIGHTED DRUGS.—The Secretary shall 

25 identify, in a separate element of the dashboard— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
5 

•S 709 IS

1 (A) for each Federal program described in 

2 paragraph (1)(D), the 15 drugs with the high3 est total program spending, including, for drugs 

4 covered under the Medicaid program, the me5 dian State spending per dosage unit; 

6 (B) the 15 drugs with the highest total 

7 Federal spending across all such Federal pro8 grams; 

9 (C) any drugs with annual per-user spend10 ing under any such program, based on claims 

11 data analysis, that, for the first reporting year 

12 is $10,000 or more per user, and, in subsequent 

13 reporting years, is priced at or above the rate, 

14 as determined by the Secretary, that is 

15 $10,000, increased by the medical care con16 sumer price index; and 

17 (D) the drugs ranked among the top 10 

18 highest unit costs increases (if not already iden19 tified) for any such Federal program. 

20 (3) DATA FILES.—The interactive internet 

21 website-based dashboard described in this subsection 

22 shall include machine-readable data files. 

23 (4) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

24 may include such additional information (not other25 wise prohibited in law from being disclosed) on the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
6 

•S 709 IS

1 website-based dashboard that would provide pa2 tients, clinicians, researchers, and the public with in3 formation about prescription drugs and their prices 

4 as the Secretary determines appropriate. 

5 (c) PLAN TO INCORPORATE DATA FROM OTHER

6 PROGRAMS.— 

7 (1) EXPANSION OF DASHBOARD.—Within 2 

8 years of the date of enactment of the Prescription 

9 Drug Pricing Dashboard Act, the Secretary shall 

10 submit to the Committee on Finance, the Committee 

11 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the 

12 Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 

13 Veterans’ Affairs, and the Special Committee on 

14 Aging of the Senate and the Committee on Ways 

15 and Means, the Committee on Energy and Com16 merce, the Committee on Armed Services, and the 

17 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

18 Representatives, a report that includes a plan to ex19 pand the dashboard under this section to include 

20 data on Federal expenditures on, and patient out-of21 pocket costs for, drugs under the TRICARE pro22 gram, the health program of the Department of Vet23 erans Affairs, and qualified health plans purchased 

24 through an American Health Benefits Exchange or 

25 other private health insurance coverage. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
7 

•S 709 IS

1 (2) CONSULTATION.—In preparing the report 

2 in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with 

3 the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Vet4 erans Affairs. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS