# Drug-price Transparency for Consumers Act of 2023

When you watch TV or scroll through social media, you've probably seen ads for prescription medications with catchy jingles and beautiful scenery. What you won't see in those ads is the actual price of the drug. This bill would change that by requiring pharmaceutical companies to display the list price of expensive medications whenever they advertise them directly to consumers.

Right now, drug companies spend over $6 billion a year on advertising, and the average American sees about nine drug ads per day. The problem is that these ads tell you about the benefits and side effects, but they deliberately leave out pricing information. Research shows that when people see these ads, they're more likely to ask their doctors for that specific medication—even if a cheaper alternative would work just as well. The bill's supporters argue this happens because people don't know how much the drug actually costs. If you saw that a medication costs $6,000 for a one-month supply, you might reconsider asking your doctor for it or at least have a conversation about the cost before getting a prescription.

The bill would require drug companies to clearly display the "wholesale acquisition cost"—basically the manufacturer's list price—for any medication that costs $35 or more for a 30-day supply and is covered by Medicare or Medicaid. The price would need to be shown prominently in the ad, whether it's on TV, online, or in print. Companies that fail to include this information could face penalties up to $100,000 per violation. The bill exempts cheaper medications (under $35) and gives the government one year to write detailed rules about exactly how the price should be displayed in different types of ads.

The goal is straightforward: give people the same basic information they'd get when shopping for any other product. Supporters believe that when patients know a drug's list price upfront, they can make smarter decisions about whether they can afford it and might be more likely to discuss lower-cost options with their doctors. This could potentially save money for patients, insurance companies, and government programs like Medicare—though the actual impact would depend on how much people's behavior changes once they see these prices.