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104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3059

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare and

publish annually a consumer guide to prescription drug prices.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 8, 1996

Mr. DURBIN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Commerce

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to

prepare and publish annually a consumer guide to prescription drug prices.

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 Consumer Information Act of 1996’’.

6 SEC 2. PREPARATION OF CONSUMER GUIDE.

7 The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this

8 Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall prepare and pub9 lish in accordance with this Act a consumer guide to pre-
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1 scription drug prices (in this Act referred to as the

2 ‘‘consumer guide’’).

3 SEC. 3. INFORMATION TO BE CONTAINED IN CONSUMER

4 GUIDE.

5 The consumer guide shall contain—

6 (1) a list of the prices of all prescription drugs

7 in an easy-to-understand format organized by thera8 peutic category; and

9 (2) such other related information as the Sec10 retary determines will assist—

11 (A) consumers in reducing expenses for

12 prescription drugs; and

13 (B) health care providers in determining

14 the cost-effectiveness of prescription drugs as

15 compared to other prescription drugs and to

16 other therapies.

17 SEC. 4. PUBLICATION.

18 The Secretary shall publish the first consumer guide

19 within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act

20 and shall publish an updated version of the consumer

21 guide annually thereafter. In addition, the Secretary may

22 publish periodically bulletins which describe changes in the

23 prices of prescription drugs between the dates of the an24 nual publication of the consumer guide.
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1 SEC. 5. AVAILABILITY OF CONSUMER GUIDE.

2 The Secretary shall—

3 (1) provide the consumer guide to public librar4 ies;

5 (2) provide for the dissemination of the

6 consumer guide widely to consumers of prescription

7 drugs and health care providers;

8 (3) encourage organizations representing senior

9 citizens, health care consumers, and health care pro10 fessionals to make the consumer guide available to

11 the members of those organizations; and

12 (4) make the consumer guide available through

13 a computer network which is easily accessible to the

14 general public, as well as in print.

15 SEC. 6. FEES FOR CONSUMER GUIDE.

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection

17 (b), the Secretary shall charge a reasonable fee for provid18 ing the consumer guide which may not exceed an amount

19 reasonably related to the costs of publishing and distribut20 ing the consumer guide.

21 (b) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary shall not charge a

22 fee for providing the consumer guide to public libraries.

23 (c) FEES COLLECTED.—Fees collected in exchange

24 for providing the consumer guide shall be available to the
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1 Secretary to cover the costs of publishing and distributing

2 the consumer guide.

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