PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Apr 27, 2006
Pharmacy Access Improvement (PhAIm) Act of 2006 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program ) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to participating pharmacies and standards for access to them. Requires that such standards ensure that enrollees residing in long-term care facilities have access to a long-term care network pharmacy.
Requires prompt payment of clean claims to pharmacies by prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD Plans) Defines prompt payment as within 14 days from submission for claims submitted electronically, and within 30 days for claims submitted otherwise. Requires payment of interest, also, if a payment is not issued, mailed, or otherwise transmitted within the applicable number of calendar days.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 24-hour toll-free telephone number dedicated to providing Medicare prescription drug benefit information to pharmacists and pharmacy staff.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Amends SSA title XVIII to require PDP sponsors to establish toll-free pharmacy and physician and provider hotlines.
Requires a PDP sponsor to utilize standardized technology for any communication or transaction occurring between the PDP and a participating pharmacy.
Prohibits a Medicare prescription drug card issued by a PDP sponsor from displaying the name, brand, logo, or trademark (co-branding) of any pharmacy.
Provides for submission of claims by pharmacies located in or contracting with long-term care facilities.
Requires the Secretary to establish reasonable dispensing fees for covered Medicare part D drugs dispensed through participating pharmacies.
Requires a PDP sponsor to encourage generic utilization by paying an increased dispensing fee for generic drugs.
People & committees
Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT] · D–MT
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3710)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 15, 2025. 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 S.2664 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 S.2664 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 S.2664 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 S.2664 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.