{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/the-health-202-senate-passage-of-gag-clause-ban-is-just-a-tiny-step-to-lowering-drug-prices", "The Health 202: Senate passage of 'gag clause' ban is just a tiny step to lowering drug prices", "2018-09-18", "2018", "2018-09", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Health 202: Senate passage of 'gag clause' ban is just a tiny step to lowering drug prices \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Tuesday, September 18, 2018\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Paulina Firozi\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Lowering the price of prescription drugs is a popular talking point for both sides of the aisle, and a mantra for President Trump.\r\nThe Senate last night took a step in that direction by voting to eliminate \"gag clauses\" that pharmacists say prevent them from disclosing when there's a cheaper way to buy prescription drugs. The move allows lawmakers to claim a significant win when they go before voters in the November elections, but it's less clear how much it would move the needle in the complicated effort to lower drug prices.\r\nHours before theSenate vote,the issue received a major boost when President Trump tweeted about it,criticizing\"gag clauses\" and calling on senators to support banning them:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Senate passedon a vote of 98 to 2 thePatients Right to Know Drug Prices Act, a bipartisan bill Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)introducedin March along with Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow(D-Mich.) that will block insurers or PBMs from prohibiting pharmacies from informing customers of any difference between their insurance co-pay and the cash price a prescription drug. The legislation also saysthat pharmacies cannot be penalized if they do share that information with customers.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.)opposed the effort.\r\nPrior to the final vote, the upper chamber defeated,11 to 89, an amendment, sponsored by Lee, that would have only applied the gag rule ban to some plans that are regulated at the federal level.\r\nLee's amendment would have had states take the lead onbanning gag clauses. As of last month, at least 25 states hadenacted their own lawsaddressing gag provisions,according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.\r\n\"Some have suggested that this state action and increased attention to the cost of prescription drugs has more or less solved this problem and greatly limited the use of gag clauses already,\" Leesaid in a news releaseabout his amendment.\r\n\"However, even if gag clauses are still in use, we must recognize that it is not the role of the federal government to regulate entities under the jurisdiction of the states. However well-intentioned, when Congress oversteps its authority like this, we usually end up doing more harm than good.\"\r\n\r\nIt's unclear how much of a difference the move will make in lowering drug prices, anyway.\r\nSome industry experts say lifting gag clauses is just a small step togetting Americanslower prices for their medicine because, while it increases transparency, it doesn't address the underlying issue of actual drug costs.\r\nThis is an important but incremental step, said Lauren Blair, spokeswoman for the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing. This is certainly progress but there's a lot more work to be done, both in the transparency bucket specifically, and broadly in the larger effort to tackle drug prices. And again, transparency is not enough to tackle outrageous drug prices.\r\nBlair added transparency should be paired with additional efforts to address prescription prices, such as allowing for opportunities to increase competition in the drug marketplace to create more affordable options.\r\n\r\nGag clausesareprovisionsburied in the fine print of contracts that pharmacy benefit managers (??PBMs) have with pharmacists. The provisions prevent many pharmacists from telling customers when the cash price for a medicine may be less expensive than their insurance co-pay unless the customers directly ask.\r\nAsimilar measure to ban the practice passed theHouse Energy and Commerce Committee last week.\r\nIn a statement to The Health 202, bill sponsor Rep. Earl L. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) applauded the passage of the Senate's version and urged a full House vote soon on his bill.\r\n\"As a pharmacist for more than 30 years, gag clauses prohibited me from telling my patients about a better option for them many times,\" he said. \"I know how important it is for patients that we end this unfair practice and I am thankful my colleagues in the Senate realize the critical need as well.\"\r\nLifting the ban was part of the White Houseblueprint on lowering drug prices. In May, whenannouncing the plan, President Trump called PBMsdishonest, double-dealing middleman, and singled out gag rules, calling them a \"total rip-off,\" and said he wanted to eliminate them.\r\nIf the legislation makes it to Trump's desk, it's just one narrow slice of a massive undertaking to lower the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs.\r\nLawmakers mayhopepassing the bill will give them bragging rights on the campaign trail. Butmost Americans are cynical about any real change emerging from this or anyother proposed policy changes.In a July pollfrom Politico-Harvard, 81 percent favored eliminating the gag clause clauses,but only 42 percent believed it would result in lower drug prices.\r\nMoreover, 57 percent didn'tbelieve Trump'splan wouldmake a difference in what their family pays for prescription drugs, while 22 percent thoughtthey wouldspend less on their medicinesand 13 percent believedthey wouldspend more.\r\nBlair said the bill's passage is heartening because it shows Republicans and Democrats, as well as the White House, are \"rallying behind the issue.\"\r\n\"Not everybody will agree on every solution, but everyone is acknowledging there's a problem,\" she said. \"This is a prime example of the fact that people are getting on the same page on the solution... Billslike this make it clear, it doesn't matter what side of the aisle you're on, we need to advance solutions.\"\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/the-health-202-senate-passage-of-gag-clause-ban-is-just-a-tiny-step-to-lowering-drug-prices"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9518821500241756, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}