Government Proposal Would Force TV Ads For Prescription Drugs To Disclose Price

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The federal government wants to force drugmakers to disclose prices for prescription medicines in their TV commercials.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said a proposal unveiled Monday would apply to brand-name drugs that are covered by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Hours earlier, the drug industry's main trade group said drug companies were willing to disclose the prices on websites, but not in commercials. The drugmakers said they would provide a website in the ads that would include the list price and likely out-of-pocket costs.

But Azar said putting the prices on a website isn't the same thing and patients deserve to know the cost.

While most patients don't pay the full price, insurance plans base their co-payments on the list price. Patients with high deductibles or no insurance sometimes pay the full price.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)