To amend part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require prescription drug plans to provide enrollee notice of less expensive part D covered drugs that may be substituted for dispensed drugs.

Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require prescription drug plans to provide enrollee notice of less expensive part D covered drugs that may be substituted for dispensed drugs.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4743 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4743

 To amend part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require 
 prescription drug plans to provide enrollee notice of less expensive 
   part D covered drugs that may be substituted for dispensed drugs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2006

   Mr. Ford 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 part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require 
 prescription drug plans to provide enrollee notice of less expensive 
   part D covered drugs that may be substituted for dispensed drugs.

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

SECTION 1. ENROLLEE NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF LESS EXPENSIVE COVERED 
              PART D DRUG.

    (a) In General.--Section 1860D-4(a) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w-104(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(5) Information on availability of less expensive covered 
        part d drugs.--If a PDP sponsor provides an explanation of 
        benefits to an enrollee under a prescription drug plan with 
        respect to a covered part D drug dispensed to the enrollee and 
        there is another covered part D drug that could have been 
        substituted for the drug dispensed and that has a lower level 
        of cost-sharing to the enrollee, the sponsor shall provide the 
        enrollee, as part of such explanation of benefits or otherwise, 
        with the information on--
                    ``(A) the name of such drug;
                    ``(B) the lower level of cost-sharing for such 
                drug; and
                    ``(C) the reduction in cost-sharing that would have 
                resulted from the substitution of such drug.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to information relating to drugs dispensed on or 
after the first day of the first month that begins more than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>