New Congress Sets Pace with
Prescription Drug Legislation

Some of the first acts of the 110th Congress have been of great interest to most retirees. On January 12, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4 (Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act) by a vote of 225 -170. H.R. 4 gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to leverage Medicare’s significant buying power to lower drug costs for Medicare.

On the Senate side, a bill has been introduced that will amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for the purpose of safe and legal importation of prescription drugs from other countries including Canada. S.242 was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

To track the progress of these bills and other legislation important to retirees, visit Thomas, the website of the Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/.