PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] · D–OR
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.10094 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.10094 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.10094 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.10094 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.
PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-13 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 2026 would require reasonable prices for health products and services developed with the benefit of federally supported research. Its reach would include drugs, vaccines, medical devices, and other health technologies. Prices charged to U.S. residents would generally be capped by an international price benchmark. The Secretary of Health and Human Services could impose additional pricing requirements or waive obligations when justified by the public interest.
This Act may be cited as the Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 2026.
All Federal agencies providing or receiving research funding, through a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement, shall require in such agreement, and in any license of the rights to a patent or regulatory test data for a biomedical product or service, that the price of any biomedical product or service developed with the benefit of such research be reasonable (as determined by the Secretary) unless the Secretary waives such reasonable price obligation under subsection (d).
any reasonable pricing formula shall ensure, without prejudice to any other standards or negotiated provisions for reasonable pricing, that residents of the United States are not charged more for the biomedical product or service involved than the reference price for countries with large economies and high incomes.
The term biomedical product or service means a drug, vaccine, medical device, diagnostic test, assistive technology, cell- or gene-based therapy, or other technology used to provide health care.
the Secretary may promulgate by regulation additional requirements to ensure that the price for the biomedical product or service described in subsection (a) be reasonable.
The Secretary may waive part or all of a reasonable pricing obligation under this section upon a demonstration that such a waiver is in the public interest.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Federal agencies providing or receiving research funding would have to put reasonable-price requirements into grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, other research agreements, and licenses covering patent rights or regulatory test data. The requirement would cover products and services developed with the benefit of that research, subject to a waiver.
All Federal agencies providing or receiving research funding, through a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement, shall require in such agreement, and in any license of the rights to a patent or regulatory test data for a biomedical product or service, that the price of any biomedical product or service developed with the benefit of such research be reasonable (as determined by the Secretary) unless the Secretary waives such reasonable price obligation under subsection (d).
Coverage would extend beyond prescription drugs to vaccines, medical devices, diagnostic tests, assistive technology, cell- or gene-based therapies, and other health care technologies. The bill incorporates an existing statutory definition of medical devices.
The term biomedical product or service means a drug, vaccine, medical device, diagnostic test, assistive technology, cell- or gene-based therapy, or other technology used to provide health care.
The term medical device has the meaning given to the term device in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
Unless waived, a reasonable-pricing formula would have to keep prices charged to U.S. residents at or below the international reference price. Other reasonable-pricing standards and negotiated terms could also apply.
any reasonable pricing formula shall ensure, without prejudice to any other standards or negotiated provisions for reasonable pricing, that residents of the United States are not charged more for the biomedical product or service involved than the reference price for countries with large economies and high incomes.
The Secretary may waive part or all of a reasonable pricing obligation under this section upon a demonstration that such a waiver is in the public interest.
The default reference price would be the median—the middle price—charged in Canada and six additional reference countries. The Secretary could modify that benchmark through a regulation with public notice and an opportunity to comment, after making the required determination about protecting U.S. residents from higher prices.
the phrase reference price for countries with large economies and high incomes means— (A) the median price charged for the biomedical product or service involved in Canada and the additional six reference countries; or (B) a modification to such price that is adopted by regulation after providing notice and the opportunity for the public to comment, if the Secretary determines such modification to be an appropriate and reasonable measure to protect United States residents from paying prices that are higher than prices in other countries with large economies and high incomes.
The six additional reference countries would exclude Canada and be selected using the previous three calendar years. They would have to belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, have the largest economies as measured by gross domestic product, and have average income per person at least half the U.S. average.
The term six reference countries means the six countries, excluding Canada, that over the previous three calendar years— (A) are member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; (B) have the largest gross domestic products; and (C) have a per capita income that is at least 50 percent of the average per capita income of the United States.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services would determine reasonable prices and could adopt additional requirements through regulations. Those requirements would have to address the public interest in reasonable prices while considering research investment incentives and practical difficulties, including third-party control of intellectual property, technical knowledge, or other assets.
be reasonable (as determined by the Secretary)
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
the Secretary may promulgate by regulation additional requirements to ensure that the price for the biomedical product or service described in subsection (a) be reasonable.
The additional requirements under paragraph (1) shall— (A) address the public interest in ensuring that publicly supported innovations for biomedical products and services have reasonable prices; and (B) take into account— (i) the importance of providing robust incentives to invest in biomedical research and development; and (ii) the challenges of administering agreements described in subsection (a), including in cases where third parties control relevant intellectual property, know-how, or other assets.
Optional pricing mechanisms could reduce prices or shorten periods of exclusive rights when revenues exceed targets. They could also reduce prices based on cost relative to health benefits, significant barriers to access, or financial burdens on patients. The bill would authorize these mechanisms without requiring the Secretary to adopt any particular one.
The additional requirements for reasonable pricing authorized by paragraph (1) may include— (A) mechanisms to— (i) lower prices or shorten exclusivity periods when revenues exceed targets; (ii) lower prices that exceed a standard of cost per health benefit achieved; or (iii) lower prices that constitute significant barriers to access or fiscal burdens on patients; or (B) a combination of mechanisms listed in subparagraph (A) or other mechanisms.
The Secretary could waive some or all of a reasonable-pricing obligation upon a demonstration that doing so serves the public interest. A decision granting a waiver would have to state that finding.
The Secretary may waive part or all of a reasonable pricing obligation under this section upon a demonstration that such a waiver is in the public interest. A decision to grant such a waiver shall set out the Secretary’s finding that the waiver is in the public interest.
Before a waiver could take effect, the public would have to receive notice and a reasonable opportunity to comment both in writing and at a public hearing. The Secretary would also have to publish an economic analysis justifying the waiver.
No waiver under paragraph (1) shall take effect before— (A) the public is given notice of the proposed waiver and provided a reasonable opportunity to comment in writing and at a public hearing on the proposed waiver; and (B) the Secretary publishes an economic analysis to justify the waiver.
Covered agreements would require manufacturers or other companies commercializing a product or service to report clinical-trial costs, federal subsidies of those costs, and annual revenues to the Secretary. The revenue reporting language specifies “county of sale.” The Secretary would set reporting formats, and the reports would support evaluation of additional pricing requirements.
In order to evaluate additional requirements promulgated under subsection (c), agreements subject to subsection (a) shall include a requirement that the manufacturer or other companies commercializing the biomedical product or service involved report to the Secretary in formats determined by the Secretary— (A) the costs of each clinical trial undertaken to support the Federal regulatory approval of the biomedical product or service involved; (B) subsidies of those costs by the Federal Government; and (C) the annual revenues generated by the biomedical product or service involved, by county of sale.
The Secretary would have to make all required company reports publicly available.
The Secretary shall make all reports under paragraph (1) publicly available.
The proposed pricing requirements would supplement other price limits, including contractual pricing terms and requirements under the cited federal patent-law chapter concerning public access to federally funded inventions on reasonable terms.
The reasonable pricing requirements imposed under this section are in addition to any other requirements to limit the price of biomedical products or services, including such requirements imposed— (1) through standards or negotiated provisions on pricing in contracts; or (2) under chapter 18 of title 35, United States Code, to make the benefits of inventions funded by the Federal Government available to the public on reasonable terms.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 10, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on August 13, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-10T08:05:27Z. 2026-08-13: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2026-08-13: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-13. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the contents of other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. The general public-interest waiver authority does not itself identify a favored recipient or narrow beneficiary class. This conclusion does not extend to other versions, accompanying materials, or future waiver decisions.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 10, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI