Vital Medication Affordability Act

Bill: 117-s-2814
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
Introduced: 2021-09-23
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2021-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-09-23
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Vital Medication Affordability Act</strong></p> <p>This bill establishes pricing for insulin and injectable epinephrine provided at federally qualified health centers (community-based health providers in underserved areas) that participate in the 340B drug pricing program.</p> <p>Specifically, such centers must provide insulin and injectable epinephrine at or below the price paid by the center, plus a minimal administration fee, to patients with a household income that is not more than 350% of the federal poverty level and who either</p> <ul> <li>have a health insurance plan with a cost-sharing requirement of more than 20% of the total amount charged for such drugs, </li> <li>have a high unmet deductible under a health insurance plan, or</li> <li>do not have a health insurance plan.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2814 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 23, 2021 Mr. Kennedy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To provide for affordable access to insulin and epinephrine.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Vital Medication Affordability Act . 2. Access to affordable life-saving drugs Section 330(k)(3) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254b(k)(3) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (M), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; (2) by redesignating subparagraph (N) as subparagraph (O); and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (M) the following: (N) in the case of a center that participates in the drug discount program under section 340B, the center has established, written practices to make insulin and injectable epinephrine available at or below the discounted price paid by the center or subgrantee of the center under the drug discount program under section 340B (plus a minimal administration fee) to patients whose household income in equal to or less than 350 percent of the Federal poverty line and who— (i) have a cost-sharing requirement under a health insurance plan for insulin or injectable epinephrine under which the patient out-of-pocket share is more than 20 percent of the total amount charged by the center for such insulin or epinephrine; (ii) have a high unmet deductible under a health insurance plan; or (iii) have no health insurance; and .