More Efficient Tools to Realize Information for Consumers Act or the METRIC Act
This bill requires prescription drug manufacturers to report, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish, specified information related to prescription drug pricing and the pharmaceutical supply chain. Specifically, HHS must publish reports submitted by drug manufacturers that include the percentage of any wholesale drug price increase that is greater than 10% in one calendar year (or 25% over three consecutive years), an explanation for the price increase, and other data. HHS must enter agreements with other agencies, research organizations, and public and private health insurers to share data submitted to HHS by drug manufacturers about the identity and quantity of drug sample requests by health practitioners.
HHS also must publish online aggregate data reported by pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), including the percentage of prescriptions provided by mail-order, rate that generic versions of drugs are dispensed, and aggregate discounts, rebates, or price concessions negotiated.
The bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to report about potentially anticompetitive practices by PBMs such as steering patients to certain pharmacies or designing price formulas that increase the market share of higher priced drugs, among other information. The report also must include recommendations to increase transparency and deter anticompetitive behavior.
The bill further requires Medicare prescription drug plan sponsors to implement an electronic, real-time benefit tool that provides prescribers with patient-specific formulary and benefit information. Additionally, the bill expands certain price reporting requirements for prescription drug payments under Medicare.