Title: Lower Drug Costs for Seniors During COVID-19 Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Lower Drug Costs for Seniors During COVID-19 Act of 2020
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a process for prescription drug plans under Medicare and Medicare Advantage to allow enrollees to make coinsurance payments in periodic installments, if the enrollee chooses to obtain the entire prescribed supply of a covered drug in a single fill. Current law allows an enrollee, during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), to obtain the entire prescribed supply of a covered drug in a single fill or refill, up to a 90-day supply.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6649 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6649

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for cost-
 spreading for certain fills and refills of drugs under part D of the 
            Medicare program during the COVID-19 emergency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2020

Ms. Schakowsky (for herself and Ms. Judy Chu of California) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
  Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for cost-
 spreading for certain fills and refills of drugs under part D of the 
            Medicare program during the COVID-19 emergency.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Drug Costs for Seniors During 
COVID-19 Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING FOR COST-SPREADING FOR CERTAIN FILLS AND REFILLS OF 
              DRUGS UNDER PART D OF THE MEDICARE PROGRAM DURING THE 
              COVID-19 EMERGENCY.

    (a) In General.--Section 1860D-4(b)(4) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395w-104(b)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Spreading cost sharing.--The Secretary shall 
                establish by guidance or otherwise a process under 
                which a prescription drug plan or an MA-PD plan shall, 
                in the case of a part D eligible individual that 
                obtains in a single fill a total day supply (not to 
                exceed a 90-day supply) of a covered part D drug 
                pursuant to subparagraph (A), provide such individual 
                with the option to make the coinsurance payment 
                required under section 1860D-2(b)(2)(A) in the form of 
                periodic installments during the period for which the 
                fill is made.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1860D-2(b)(2)(A) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-102(b)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting 
``and section 1860D-4(b)(4)(C)'' after ``Subject to subparagraphs (C) 
and (D)''.
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