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S 2650 116th Congress Senate

Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2019

Official title: A bill to amend part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to deliver a meaningful benefit and lower prescription drug prices under the Medicare program.

Introduced: October 21, 2019 Introduced by: Durbin, Richard J. Democratic · Illinois See on congress.gov
Health Administrative remediesAdvisory bodiesDepartment of Health and Human ServicesMedicare
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Prescription drugsPublic contracts and procurement
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) 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
Oct 21, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S5924-5925)
Oct 21, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action October 21, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S5924-5925)

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2019

This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish at least one prescription drug plan that is operated by Medicare.

Among other things, the plan must (1) serve the entire United States; and (2) be the default plan for enrollees under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, unless the enrollee chooses another plan.

Additionally, the CMS must negotiate prices for prescription drugs that are covered under the plan and, if appropriate, encourage the use of more affordable therapeutic equivalents. (Currently, the CMS is prohibited from negotiating the prices of covered drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must assess the clinical benefits of drugs and make recommendations to the CMS regarding price negotiations, based on specified information (e.g., comparable international prices).

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 4769 Identical bill Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2019
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2650: Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-2650/
MLA
"S. 2650: Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-2650/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2650, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-2650/.
Markdown link
[S. 2650: Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-2650/)
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