[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4832 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4832

   To require the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
 Quality to conduct studies on the comparative effectiveness and cost-
  effectiveness of prescription drugs that account for high levels of 
 expenditures or use by individuals eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2002

Mr. Allen (for himself, Mr. Berry, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. 
   Stark, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Baldacci, Ms. DeLauro, and Mr. 
   Waxman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
 Quality to conduct studies on the comparative effectiveness and cost-
  effectiveness of prescription drugs that account for high levels of 
 expenditures or use by individuals eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prescription Drug Comparative 
Effectiveness Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF CERTAIN DRUGS USED BY INDIVIDUALS 
              ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICARE OR MEDICAID.

    (a) Study.--The Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality shall conduct studies or other analyses, which may include 
clinical research, to develop or analyze valid scientific evidence 
regarding the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of 
covered prescription drugs relative to other drugs and treatments.
    (b) Covered Prescription Drugs.--For purposes of this section, the 
term ``covered prescription drugs'' means prescription drugs that 
account for high levels of expenditures or use by individuals entitled 
to benefits under the medicare or medicaid programs under titles XVIII 
or XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.; 1396 et 
seq.), respectively.
    (c) Report.--Each year the Director of the Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality shall--
            (1) submit to the Congress a report on the results of the 
        studies or analyses conducted under subsection (a); and
            (2) make such report publicly available, including by 
        posting the report on the Internet.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for fiscal year 
2003, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years thereafter.
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