On June 26, the Senate HELP Committee advanced a sweeping bipartisan package aimed at lowering health care costs by a 20-3 margin, with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) voting against the bill. The Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) includes provisions to end surprise medical bills, promote competition in the pharmaceutical industry, increase health care transparency, promote the exchange of health information, and improve public health. The latest version of the bill (passed as a manager's amendment) added a provision to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 21, a priority of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and inserted the CREATES Act (S. 340), a bipartisan bill to prevent branded drugmakers from withholding samples from potential competitors. It also added a section on group health plan cost reporting and funding extensions for community health centers, the national health service corps, and teaching health centers through 2024, among other things. The committee also adopted an amendment by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the FAIR Drug Pricing Act, which would require drugmakers to disclose and justify their price hikes, and an amendment by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), which would mandate insurers provide information on ancillary services that have no in-network providers.

For more information, see the attached Alert.

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ATTACHMENTS

HELP cost containment markup

S. 1173

S. 1199

Baldwin Amendment

Braun Amendment

Cassidy Amendment

Collins Amendment

Isakson Amendment

Managers Amendment

Romney Amendment

Smith Amendment