H.R. 4946: Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2019
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H.R. 4946: Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2019
116th Congress · introduced 2019-10-31 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-10-31 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2019
Plain summary
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2019 This bill establishes several requirements for prescription drug plans under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Specifically, the bill requires prescription drug plans to allow any pharmacy located in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area to be included as an in-network pharmacy if the plan already has other in-network pharmacies in the same area. The bill also establishes certain standards for prescription drug plans regarding pharmacy reimbursements and related disclosures. Among other things, the bill prohibits prescription drug plans from reimbursing a pharmacy in an amount that is less than the amount the pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) reimburses an affiliated pharmacy (i.e., a pharmacy that has a shared ownership interest with the PBM) for the same services.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
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What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2019
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] · 17 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (R-AR), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (R-TN), J. French Hill (R-AR), Roger Marshall (R-KS)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] reported raising $248,839 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (1)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr4946.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>
Record fed-us-cong116-hr4946 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116