Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021

Bill: 117-hr-19
Sponsor: Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R-WA-5]
Introduced: 2021-04-21 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Appropriations
Biological and life sciences
Business records
Chemistry
Civil actions and liability
Competition and antitrust
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Department of Health and Human Services
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Drug therapy
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Home and outpatient care
Hospital care
Income tax exclusion
Inflation and prices
Intellectual property
Judicial review and appeals
Manufacturing
Marketing and advertising
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical research
Medicare
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement
Research and development
Retail and wholesale trades
State and local government operations
Trade agreements and negotiations
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: 

Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021

 
This bill establishes and modifies several programs and requirements to address prescription drug prices. 
 
The bill modifies provisions under Medicare and Medicaid relating to prescription drug coverage and price transparency. Among other changes, the bill
 
 
requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish certain information, as reported by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), relating to generic dispensing rates, drug discounts and rebates, and payments between PBMs, health plans, and pharmacies;
 
 caps annual out-of-pocket spending under the Medicare prescription drug benefit;
 
allows prescription drug plan sponsors under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to offer additional plans in a region; 
 
 requires pass-through pricing models, and prohibits spread-pricing, for payment arrangements with PBMs under Medicaid; and 
 
allows states to include in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program covered outpatient drugs that are provided as part of physician or outpatient hospital services.
 
 
The bill also generally modifies other provisions relating to the regulation and costs of generic and brand-name drugs. Among other changes, the bill
 
 
prohibits the manufacturer of a brand-name, generic, or biosimilar drug from entering into certain agreements to resolve or settle a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug or biological product;
 
permanently allows high deductible health plans to waive deductibles for insulin and associated products; and
 
establishes the position of Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-10-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law.
action_date: 2021-04-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, 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.
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, 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.
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, 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.
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2021-04-21
text: Introduced in House