House Passes Bill to Close Generic Drug Loopholes Advocacy
House Passes Bill to Bolster Generic Drug Access ACA
Legislation would be a first step in fight to lower prescription drug prices
Getty Images Loopholes that prevent generic drugs from getting to consumers more quickly would be closed and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be strengthened under a bill the House of Representatives passed late Thursday. The legislation, approved 234 to 183, includes two measures that would deter brand-name pharmaceutical companies from making it to create lower-priced versions of their products. The bill also would repeal the administration's approval of short-term “skimpy” insurance plans, restore funding for outreach and marketing of the ACA, and provide money for states that want to set up their own insurance marketplaces. The Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drug Act would crack down on under which brand-name companies pay generic firms to postpone bringing a particular generic alternative to the marketplace. The Federal Trade Commission has determined that these agreements delay a generic drug from getting to consumers by an average of 17 months. During that time, patients have no choice but to continue buying the higher-priced brand-name medicine. The Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples — or CREATES — Act targets anticompetitive behavior by brand-name drugmakers by requiring them to provide the information and product samples generic manufacturers need to develop and produce the generic equivalents of brand-name medicines. The CREATES Act would allow generic manufacturers to take brand-name companies to court to force them to provide the data and samples they need. AARP has strongly supported both of these measures as part of its campaign to lower prescription drug prices for its 38 million members and all Americans. Both proposals on generics have bipartisan support in the Senate. "This legislation is a significant step toward lowering skyrocketing prescription drug costs and protecting health coverage for millions of Americans,” says Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. “Together, these bills will help eliminate legal loopholes that are preventing lower-priced generic drugs from entering the market and creating much-needed competition." Under the ACA provisions of the bill, the expansion of would be rolled back. Last summer, the administration issued a regulation increasing the availability of these plans for up to three years. These plans “lack consumer protections and would once again allow insurance companies to charge much more due to age or a pre-existing condition,” LeaMond says in a letter to House members in support of the bill. The House measure also would improve the ACA's consumer Navigator program, which helps Americans apply for coverage under the ACA, and would revive the grant program for states that want to create their own health insurance marketplace exchanges.
More on AARP Advocacy
Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.