,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #gg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the 
,,united ,,states  ,january #bc         
7legislative day1 ,january #c71 #bjac   
,mr4 ,franken 7for himself and ,ms4     
,klobuchar7 introduced the following    
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill
  ,to amend part ,d of title ,,xviii of 
the ,social ,security ,act to authorize 
the ,secretary of ,health and ,human    
,services to negotiate for lower prices 
for ,medicare prescription drugs4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,prescription ,drug and ,health     
,improvement ,act of #bjac4  #b4        
,negotiating fair prices for medicare   
prescription drugs  7a7 ,negotiating    
fair prices  7#a7 ,in general ,section  
#ahfj;,d-#aa of the ,social ,security   
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciew-#aaa7 is     
amended by striking subsection 7i7      
7relating to noninterference7 and by    
inserting the following3  7i7 ,authority
 ,to negotiate prices with manufacturers

 ,in order to ensure that beneficiaries 
enrolled under prescription drug plans  
and ,,ma-,,pd plans pay the lowest      
possible price1 the ,secretary shall    
have authority similar to that of other 
,federal entities that purchase         
prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate 
contracts with manufacturers of covered 
part ,d drugs1 consistent with the      
requirements and in furtherance of the  
goals of providing quality care and     
containing costs under this part4  4    
7#b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made
 by paragraph 7#a7 shall take effect on 
the date of the enactment of this ,act4 
7b7 ,biannual reports to ,congress ,not 
later than #a year after the date of the
 enactment of this ,act1 and every #f   
months thereafter1 the ,secretary of    
,health and ,human ,services shall      
submit to ,congress a report on the     
negotiations conducted by the ,secretary
 under section #ahfj;,d-#aa7;i7 of the  
,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#aciew-#aaa7;i771 as amended by         

subsection 7a71 including a description 
of how such negotiations are achieving  
lower prices for covered part ,d drugs  
7as defined in section #ahfj;,d-#b7;e7  
of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #aciew-#ajb7;e777 for         
,medicare beneficiaries4