Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60
§1395w–3b Competitive Acquisition of Outpatient Drugs and Biologicals
Title 42 › Chapter 7— SOCIAL SECURITY › Subchapter XVIII— HEALTH INSURANCE FOR AGED AND DISABLED › Part B— Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for Aged and Disabled › § 1395w–3b
Summary
Creates a program where the Health Secretary will buy certain outpatient drugs and biologicals through competitive bids. The program covers drugs furnished on or after January 1, 2006, and the Secretary must start phasing in categories beginning in 2006. Each year a doctor can choose to get those drugs under this program instead of the regular system. If a doctor chooses the program, the doctor must pick a contractor for each drug category and geographic area. The Secretary runs competitions and may award contracts to qualified bidders (at least 2, unless more are chosen). Contracts last 3 years unless ended with proper notice. Contractors must buy products directly from manufacturers or direct distributors, ship at least 5 days a week, meet quality, service, and financial rules, follow fraud-prevention rules and a code of conduct, and generally supply drugs only to the selecting doctors (except certain home-use situations). Contractors submit claims and get paid; they collect the patient’s deductible and coinsurance and only bill when the drug is actually given. The Secretary will set a single payment amount per drug per area from the bids, and payment to the contractor will be 80 percent of that amount after the deductible is met. The Secretary must have processes to adjust payments, review payments after the fact, and recover overpayments. The Secretary can exclude drugs if bidding won’t save money or would hurt access, may waive some procurement rules for efficiency (but keep confidentiality protections), and requires contractors to report acquisition costs and allow price adjustments. Key program decisions—payment amounts, contract awards, areas, phase-in, category choices, and bidding rules—cannot be reviewed in court or through administrative appeals.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §1395w–3b
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)(A)The Secretary shall establish and implement a competitive acquisition program under which—
(i)competitive acquisition areas are established for contract award purposes for acquisition of and payment for categories of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals (as defined in paragraph (2)) under this part;
(ii)each physician is given the opportunity annually to elect to obtain drugs and biologicals under the program, rather than under section 1395w–3a of this title; and
(iii)each physician who elects to obtain drugs and biologicals under the program makes an annual selection under paragraph (5) of the contractor through which drugs and biologicals within a category of drugs and biologicals will be acquired and delivered to the physician under this part.
(B)For purposes of implementing the program, the Secretary shall establish categories of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals. The Secretary shall phase in the program with respect to those categories beginning in 2006 in such manner as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(C)In order to promote competition, in carrying out the program the Secretary may waive such provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation as are necessary for the efficient implementation of this section, other than provisions relating to confidentiality of information and such other provisions as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(D)The Secretary may exclude competitively biddable drugs and biologicals (including a class of such drugs and biologicals) from the competitive bidding system under this section if the application of competitive bidding to such drugs or biologicals—
(i)is not likely to result in significant savings; or
(ii)is likely to have an adverse impact on access to such drugs or biologicals.
(2)For purposes of this section—
(A)The term “competitively biddable drugs and biologicals” means a drug or biological described in section 1395u(o)(1)(C) of this title and furnished on or after January 1, 2006.
(B)The term “program” means the competitive acquisition program under this section.
(C)The terms “competitive acquisition area” and “area” mean an appropriate geographic region established by the Secretary under the program.
(D)The term “contractor” means an entity that has entered into a contract with the Secretary under this section.
(3)(A)With respect to competitively biddable drugs and biologicals which are supplied under the program in an area and which are prescribed by a physician who has elected this section to apply—
(i)the claim for such drugs and biologicals shall be submitted by the contractor that supplied the drugs and biologicals;
(ii)collection of amounts of any deductible and coinsurance applicable with respect to such drugs and biologicals shall be the responsibility of such contractor and shall not be collected unless the drug or biological is administered to the individual involved; and
(iii)the payment under this section (and related amounts of any applicable deductible and coinsurance) for such drugs and biologicals shall be made only to such contractor upon receipt of a claim for a drug or biological supplied by the contractor for administration to a beneficiary.
(B)The Secretary shall provide a process for adjustments to payments in the case in which payment is made for drugs and biologicals which were billed at the time of dispensing but which were not actually administered.
(C)The Secretary shall provide a process by which physicians submit information to contractors for purposes of the collection of any applicable deductible or coinsurance amounts under subparagraph (A)(ii).
(D)The Secretary shall establish (by program instruction or otherwise) a post-payment review process (which may include the use of statistical sampling) to assure that payment is made for a drug or biological under this section only if the drug or biological has been administered to a beneficiary. The Secretary shall recoup, offset, or collect any overpayments determined by the Secretary under such process.
(4)Payment may not be made under this part for competitively biddable drugs and biologicals prescribed by a physician who has elected this section to apply within a category and a competitive acquisition area with respect to which the program applies unless—
(A)the drugs or biologicals are supplied by a contractor with a contract under this section for such category of drugs and biologicals and area; and
(B)the physician has elected such contractor under paragraph (5) for such category and area.
(5)(A)(i)The Secretary shall provide a process for the selection of a contractor, on an annual basis and in such exigent circumstances as the Secretary may provide and with respect to each category of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals for an area by selecting physicians.
(ii)The selection of a contractor under clause (i) shall be made at the time of the election described in section 1395w–3a(a) of this title for this section to apply and shall be coordinated with agreements entered into under section 1395u(h) of this title.
(B)The Secretary shall make available to physicians on an ongoing basis, through a directory posted on the Internet website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or otherwise and upon request, a list of the contractors under this section in the different competitive acquisition areas.
(C)For purposes of this section, the term “selecting physician” means, with respect to a contractor and category and competitive acquisition area, a physician who has elected this section to apply and has selected to apply under this section such contractor for such category and area.
(b)(1)The Secretary shall conduct a competition among entities for the acquisition of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, in the case of a multiple source drug, the Secretary shall conduct such competition among entities for the acquisition of at least one competitively biddable drug and biological within each billing and payment code within each category for each competitive acquisition area.
(2)(A)The Secretary may not award a contract to any entity under the competition conducted in a competitive acquisition area pursuant to paragraph (1) with respect to the acquisition of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals within a category unless the Secretary finds that the entity meets all of the following with respect to the contract period involved:
(i)(I)The entity has sufficient arrangements to acquire and to deliver competitively biddable drugs and biologicals within such category in the area specified in the contract.
(II)The entity has arrangements in effect for the shipment at least 5 days each week of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals under the contract and for the timely delivery (including for emergency situations) of such drugs and biologicals in the area under the contract.
(ii)The entity meets quality, service, financial performance, and solvency standards specified by the Secretary, including—
(I)the establishment of procedures for the prompt response and resolution of complaints of physicians and individuals and of inquiries regarding the shipment of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals; and
(II)a grievance and appeals process for the resolution of disputes.
(B)The Secretary may refuse to award a contract under this section, and may terminate such a contract, with an entity based upon—
(i)the suspension or revocation, by the Federal Government or a State government, of the entity’s license for the distribution of drugs or biologicals (including controlled substances); or
(ii)the exclusion of the entity under section 1320a–7 of this title from participation under this subchapter.
(C)For provision providing for a program-wide Medicare Provider Ombudsman to review complaints, see section 1395ee(b) of this title, as added by section 923 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.11 See References in Text note below.
(3)The Secretary may limit (but not below 2) the number of qualified entities that are awarded such contracts for any category and area. The Secretary shall select among qualified entities based on the following:
(A)The bid prices for competitively biddable drugs and biologicals within the category and area.
(B)Bid price for distribution of such drugs and biologicals.
(C)Ability to ensure product integrity.
(D)Customer service.
(E)Past experience in the distribution of drugs and biologicals, including controlled substances.
(F)Such other factors as the Secretary may specify.
(4)(A)A contract entered into with an entity under the competition conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) is subject to terms and conditions that the Secretary may specify consistent with this section.
(B)A contract under this section shall be for a term of 3 years, but may be terminated by the Secretary or the entity with appropriate, advance notice.
(C)A contractor (as defined in subsection (a)(2)(D)) shall—
(i)acquire all drug and biological products it distributes directly from the manufacturer or from a distributor that has acquired the products directly from the manufacturer; and
(ii)comply with any product integrity safeguards as may be determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.
(D)Under the contract—
(i)the contractor shall comply with a code of conduct, specified or recognized by the Secretary, that includes standards relating to conflicts of interest; and
(ii)the contractor shall comply with all applicable provisions relating to prevention of fraud and abuse, including compliance with applicable guidelines of the Department of Justice and the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
(E)Under the contract the contractor shall only supply competitively biddable drugs and biologicals directly to the selecting physicians and not directly to individuals, except under circumstances and settings where an individual currently receives a drug or biological in the individual’s home or other non-physician office setting as the Secretary may provide. The contractor shall not deliver drugs and biologicals to a selecting physician except upon receipt of a prescription for such drugs and biologicals, and such necessary data as may be required by the Secretary to carry out this section. This section does not—
(i)require a physician to submit a prescription for each individual treatment; or
(ii)change a physician’s flexibility in terms of writing a prescription for drugs or biologicals for a single treatment or a course of treatment.
(5)The Secretary shall establish rules under this section under which drugs and biologicals which are acquired through a contractor under this section may be used to resupply inventories of such drugs and biologicals which are administered consistent with safe drug practices and with adequate safeguards against fraud and abuse. The previous sentence shall apply if the physicians can demonstrate to the Secretary all of the following:
(A)The drugs or biologicals are required immediately.
(B)The physician could not have reasonably anticipated the immediate requirement for the drugs or biologicals.
(C)The contractor could not deliver to the physician the drugs or biologicals in a timely manner.
(D)The drugs or biologicals were administered in an emergency situation.
(6)Nothing in this section shall be construed as waiving applicable State requirements relating to licensing of pharmacies.
(c)(1)In awarding a contract for a category of drugs and biologicals in an area under the program, the Secretary shall consider with respect to each entity seeking to be awarded a contract the bid price and the other factors referred to in subsection (b)(3).
(2)In this section, the term “bid” means an offer to furnish a competitively biddable drug or biological for a particular price and time period.
(3)Nothing in this section shall be construed as precluding a bidder from bidding for contracts in all areas of the United States or as requiring a bidder to submit a bid for all areas of the United States.
(4)The amount of the bid submitted under a contract offer for any competitively biddable drug or biological for an area shall be the same for that drug or biological for all portions of that area.
(5)The provisions of subparagraph (D) of section 1396r–8(b)(3) of this title shall apply to periods during which a bid is submitted with respect to a competitively biddable drug or biological under this section in the same manner as it applies to information disclosed under such section, except that any reference—
(A)in that subparagraph to a “manufacturer or wholesaler” is deemed a reference to a “bidder” under this section;
(B)in that section to “prices charged for drugs” is deemed a reference to a “bid” submitted under this section; and
(C)in clause (i) of that section to “this section”, is deemed a reference to “part B of subchapter XVIII”.
(6)The bid price submitted in a contract offer for a competitively biddable drug or biological shall—
(A)include all costs related to the delivery of the drug or biological to the selecting physician (or other point of delivery); and
(B)include the costs of dispensing (including shipping) of such drug or biological and management fees, but shall not include any costs related to the administration of the drug or biological, or wastage, spillage, or spoilage.
(7)Each contract awarded shall provide for—
(A)disclosure to the Secretary the contractor’s reasonable, net acquisition costs for periods specified by the Secretary, not more often than quarterly, of the contract; and
(B)appropriate price adjustments over the period of the contract to reflect significant increases or decreases in a contractor’s reasonable, net acquisition costs, as so disclosed.
(d)(1)Payment under this section for competitively biddable drugs or biologicals shall be based on bids submitted and accepted under this section for such drugs or biologicals in an area. Based on such bids the Secretary shall determine a single payment amount for each competitively biddable drug or biological in the area.
(2)The Secretary shall establish rules regarding the use under this section of the alternative payment amount provided under section 1395w–3a of this title to the use of a price for specific competitively biddable drugs and biologicals in the following cases:
(A)A competitively biddable drug or biological for which a payment and billing code has not been established.
(B)Such other exceptional cases as the Secretary may specify in regulations.
(e)(1)Payment under this section for competitively biddable drugs and biologicals shall be in an amount equal to 80 percent of the payment basis described in subsection (d)(1).
(2)Before applying paragraph (1), the individual shall be required to meet the deductible described in section 1395l(b) of this title.
(3)Such coinsurance and deductible shall be collected by the contractor that supplies the drug or biological involved. Subject to subsection (a)(3)(B), such coinsurance and deductible may be collected in a manner similar to the manner in which the coinsurance and deductible are collected for durable medical equipment under this part.
(f)(1)If the Secretary excludes a drug or biological (or class of drugs or biologicals) under subsection (a)(1)(D), the Secretary may provide for payment to be made under this part for such drugs and biologicals (or class) using the payment methodology under section 1395w–3a of this title.
(2)For provision requiring assignment of claims for competitively biddable drugs and biologicals, see section 1395u(o)(3) of this title.
(3)For protection of individuals against liability in the case of medical necessity determinations, see section 1395u(b)(3)(B)(ii)(III) of this title.
(g)There shall be no administrative or judicial review under section 1395ff of this title, section 1395oo of this title, or otherwise, of—
(1)the establishment of payment amounts under subsection (d)(1);
(2)the awarding of contracts under this section;
(3)the establishment of competitive acquisition areas under subsection (a)(2)(C);
(4)the phased-in implementation under subsection (a)(1)(B);
(5)the selection of categories of competitively biddable drugs and biologicals for competitive acquisition under such subsection or the selection of a drug in the case of multiple source drugs; or
(6)the bidding structure and number of contractors selected under this section.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 1395ee(b) of this title, referred to in subsec. (b)(2)(C), was added by section 942(a)(5) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Pub. L. 108–173, not section 923 of that Act, and relates to the Council for Technology and Innovation, not to the Medicare Provider Ombudsman. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, referred to in subsec. subsec. (b)(4)(C), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 675, 52 Stat. 1040, which is classified generally to chapter 9 (§ 301 et seq.) of Title 21, Food and Drugs. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 301 of Title 21 and Tables.
Amendments
2006—Subsec. (a)(3)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 109–432, § 108(a)(1), substituted “and biologicals shall be made only to such contractor upon receipt of a claim for a drug or biological supplied by the contractor for administration to a beneficiary.” for “and biologicals— “(I) shall be made only to such contractor; and “(II) shall be conditioned upon the administration of such drugs and biologicals.” Subsec. (a)(3)(D). Pub. L. 109–432, § 108(a)(2), added subpar. (D).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2006 Amendment Pub. L. 109–432, div. B, title I, § 108(c), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 2983, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply to payment for drugs and biologicals supplied under section 1847B of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–3b)— “(1) on or after
April 1, 2007; and “(2) on or after
July 1, 2006, and before
April 1, 2007, for claims that are unpaid as of
April 1, 2007.”
Construction
of 2006 Amendment Pub. L. 109–432, div. B, title I, § 108(b), Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 2983, provided that: “Nothing in this section [amending this section and enacting provisions set out as a note above] shall be construed as— “(1) requiring the conduct of any additional competition under subsection (b)(1) of section 1847B of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–3b); or “(2) requiring any additional process for elections by physicians under subsection (a)(1)(A)(ii) of such section or additional selection by a selecting physician of a contractor under subsection (a)(5) of such section.” Report Pub. L. 108–173, title III, § 303(d)(2), Dec. 8, 2003, 117 Stat. 2252, provided that: “Not later than July 1, 2008, the Secretary [of Health and Human Services] shall submit to Congress a report on the program conducted under section 1847B of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395w–3b], as added by paragraph (1). Such report shall include information on savings, reductions in cost-sharing, access to competitively biddable drugs and biologicals, the range of choices of contractors available to physicians, the satisfaction of physicians and of individuals enrolled under this part [probably means part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1395j et seq.], and information comparing prices for drugs and biologicals under such section and section 1847A of such Act [42 U.S.C. 1395w–3a], as added by subsection (c).” Application of 2003 Amendment to Physician SpecialtiesAmendment by section 303 of Pub. L. 108–173, insofar as applicable to payments for drugs or biologicals and drug administration services furnished by physicians, is applicable only to physicians in the specialties of hematology, hematology/oncology, and medical oncology under this subchapter, see section 303(j) of Pub. L. 108–173, set out as a note under section 1395u of this title. Notwithstanding section 303(j) of Pub. L. 108–173 (see note above), amendment by section 303 of Pub. L. 108–173 also applicable to payments for drugs or biologicals and drug administration services furnished by physicians in specialties other than the specialties of hematology, hematology/oncology, and medical oncology, see section 304 of Pub. L. 108–173, set out as a note under section 1395u of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 1395w–3b
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60