Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act has not moved since its introduction on Apr 16, 2026, with cosponsors, all Democrats
IntroducedApr 16, 2026
Reported—
Passed one chamber—
Passed both—
Law—
What it changes · CRS summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service [2]. 87 words.
Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act This bill requires prescription drug plans under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to include generic drugs and biosimilars on their formularies. Specifically, the bill requires plans that use formularies to include generic drugs and biosimilars on the formularies and without any requirements (e.g., prior authorization requirements) that are more restrictive as compared to those for brand-name drugs and biologics. Plans that use cost-sharing tiers must also have specific tiers for generic drugs and biosimilars, in accordance with certain limitations.
Context
- Committees
- Senate Finance Committee
- Policy area
- Health: 122 of 9,357 bills became law, 113th–118th (1.3%)
- Sponsor
- 4 of 251 bills enacted since 2013
- Text versions
- 1: introduced in senate · 1,618 words
- Latest action
- Apr 16, 2026: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Records
- Congress.gov · Bill text
Exhibit 1Passage odds band at each stage, rated when the bill reached it [4]
Related bills · 0
The bill status record lists no related bills.
Exhibit 2Articles naming the bill per day, last 90 days, US sources [3]