New Democrat Coalition Applauds House Passage of Drug Pricing Legislation
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Member-led legislation that would improve transparency into prescription drug pricing and potentially lower costs for all Americans. This comes after the NDC efforts endorsing bipartisan legislation to increase transparency into prescription drug pricing, increase competition, and lower costs. The NDC urged House Leadership to move these bills forward in a bipartisan way and are pleased to see broad support for these bills.
Specifically, the House passed the New Dem-endorsed H.R. 1781 – Payment Commission Data Act of 2019 from Rep. Tom O’Halleran, which would provide the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) with access to drug pricing and rebate data in order for these independent, non-partisan commissions to help Congress better understand the true costs consumers and taxpayers face when they pay for prescription drugs. The House also passed NDC Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s H.R. 2115, Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act, which would increase transparency by requiring the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make publicly available aggregate rebate data and generic dispensing rates, which pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are already required to report. This bill includes provisions from NDC Rep. Elissa Slotkin's Real-Time Benefits Act.
“Millions of Americans, including folks all across our region, are struggling to keep up with the increasing costs of health care and prescription drugs. In the greatest nation in the world, families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and paying for medication or other critical health care services,” said NDC Chair Derek Kilmer. “I’m proud to see Reps. O’Halleran, Spanberger, and Slotkin’s bipartisan bills pass the House to help lower these costs and help patients.”
“I have held 26 town hall meetings across our district this year, and at each and every one I hear from hardworking Arizonans struggling to afford the high costs of necessary prescription drugs. No family should have to choose between life-saving medications and putting food on the table,” NDC Rep. Tom O’Halleran said of the Payment Commission Data Act. “If we hope to lower prescription drug prices, we must ensure that those tasked with providing drug pricing guidance to Congress have the most accurate information so they are able to recommend policies that assist real patients. Yesterday, the House of Representatives took a solid step forward in lowering the cost of prescription drugs by passing our bipartisan legislation.”
“Across Central Virginia, I have heard heartbreaking stories about the harmful financial effects of rising prescription drug costs. As prices surge, our neighbors struggle not only to purchase the medications they need, but also to understand why costs continue to rise. One of the first steps toward fixing this issue is to strengthen accountability within our murky discount and rebate system—a concern expressed to me by patients and pharmacists at our Henrico prescription drug roundtable in August,”said NDC Rep. Abigail Spanberger of the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act. “Yesterday marks important progress as we work to bring greater transparency to the black box of prescription drug negotiations. By shedding light on the practices of PBMs, our bipartisan legislation would allow patients, physicians, and pharmacists to better understand the economic impacts of decisions made by PBMs. At a time when PBMs are raking in record profits, we need to make sure we have public information on-hand that can help us hold them accountable for potentially passing on price increases to America’s families and seniors. I’d like to thank my colleagues in the House for moving our bill forward—and I’ll keep working to advance bipartisan legislation that can lower costs, increase access to lifesaving medications, and stimulate competition in the pharmaceutical industry.”
“The bill started with a very simple request from seniors in my district — people want to know how much a prescription will cost before they pick it up at the drugstore and they deserve to know that it's the best possible price that they can get,” NDC Rep. Elissa Slotkin said of the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act. “This bill does that very thing: It provides Medicare patients with the information they need about the cost of a prescription, whether there are generic alternatives, as well as the best pharmacy for the best deal before they even leave the doctor's office.”
Earlier this Congress, NDC endorsed prescription drug bills, including H.R. 1781 – Payment Commission Data Act of 2019, that would will help promote transparency in pricing and protect and improve access to lower cost generic drugs. The House passed the New Democrat Coalition-supported H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, which included several individual New Dem-introduced and endorsed bills, including the bills that would lower prescription drug pricing. New Dems also urged House leaders to prioritize strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and continue the path toward affordable universal coverage. The NDC has worked with Congressional Leadership to undo the sabotage done to the ACA, and look forward to building on this work through the legislative progress of our Members.
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