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S 648 114th Congress Senate

Medicare Formulary Improvement Act of 2015

Official title: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve formulary requirements for prescription drug plans and MA-PD plans with respect to certain categories or classes of drugs.

Introduced: March 4, 2015 Introduced by: Grassley, Chuck Republican · Iowa See on congress.gov
Health Drug therapyMedicarePrescription drugs
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 4, 2015
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mar 4, 2015
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action March 4, 2015

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medicare Formulary Improvement Act of 2015

This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a sponsor offering a prescription drug plan (PDP) to include all covered part D drugs in the following categories and classes of drugs in the formulary: (1) anticonvulsants, (2) antidepressants, (3) antineoplastics, (4) antipsychotics, (5) antiretrovirals, and (6) immunosuppressants for the treatment of transplant rejection. Currently the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to identify categories and classes of drugs of clinical concern.

The Secretary is required, however, to establish any exceptions that permit a PDP sponsor to exclude from its formulary a particular covered part D drug only through promulgation of a regulation, including a public notice and comment period.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 648: Medicare Formulary Improvement Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-648/
MLA
"S. 648: Medicare Formulary Improvement Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-648/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 648, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-648/.
Markdown link
[S. 648: Medicare Formulary Improvement Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-648/)
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