16 July 2018 - Senator Susan Collins of Maine on Monday said Congress is ready and able to forbid “gag clauses” that bar pharmacies from telling customers they could pay less by using cash for certain drugs instead of ponying up the copayment under their insurance policy.

Ms. Collins, a centrist Republican, pointed to support from the Trump administration, which singled out the clauses in its blueprint for slashing drug prices, and from Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit insurers or pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) from ordering pharmacies to stay mum about the cheapest option.

As it stands, some pharmacists “can only answer that question if the consumer asks,” Ms. Collins said in a speech at the Pew Charitable Trusts in the District of Columbia.

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