InsideGov
Congress · Laws

Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act

Public Law 115-263 · S. 2554 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Oct 10, 2018 · Health

Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

Cosponsors (25): Sen. Claire McCaskill,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateRecorded vote: 98 yea, 2 nay98–2
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

Report a correction

Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit a health insurance plan or pharmacy benefits manager from restricting a pharmacy from informing an enrollee of any difference between the out-of-pocket cost of a drug under the plan and the cost of the drug without health insurance coverage. (Such restrictions are commonly referred to as gag clauses.)

(Sec. 3) The bill also amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to apply certain antitrust filing requirements for generic drug applicants to biosimilar biological product applicants. (Biosimilar biological products, commonly referred to as biosimilars, are biological products approved by the Food and Drug Administration based on their similarity to an already-approved biological product.) Under current law, generic drug applicants that make agreements with brand name drug companies or other generic drug applicants regarding the manufacture, marketing, or sale of their drugs must file such agreements with the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice. The bill subjects biosimilar biological product applicants to the same filing requirements.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 98 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

98 yea2 nay

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(49)

Republicans who voted yea(49)

Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 534 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

Report a correction

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

Report a correction

Related bills

3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 6143Identical bill

    Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act

  • H.R. 6733Related bill

    Know the Cost Act of 2018

  • S. 2553 · became Public Law 115-262Related bill

    Know the Lowest Price Act of 2018

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

Report a correction

Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.

  1. Oct 10, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-263.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 1, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 25, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2554.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Carter (GA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Sep 20, 2018FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  10. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  11. Sep 18, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Sep 17, 2018FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 98 - 2. Record Vote Number: 209.Senate roll call 209
  13. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  14. Jul 31, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 549.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Alexander with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  16. Jul 25, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  17. Mar 14, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  18. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

Report a correction

Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 4011SenateSen. Mike LeeR-UT· offered Sep 6, 2018Rejected

    To limit application of the gag clause to self-insured group health plans.

    Sep 17, 2018: Amendment SA 4011 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 11 - 89. Record Vote Number: 208.

    Rejected
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

Report a correction

Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.