Legislation to cap the price of insulin prescribed through private insurance and Medicare at $35 a month for Americans of all ages was blocked by Senate Republicans last year.
The provision, signed into law by President Biden, will significantly lower out-of pocket drug costs for many of the over 1.1 million Arizona seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D coverage.
The percentage of Arizonans with health insurance rose from 89.3% in 2021 to 89.7% in 2022. The state still lags slightly behind the nation, where coverage rose 0.7% from 91.3% of Americans insured to 92%.
While abortion rights activists work to make the health service a constitutionally protected right, Arizona’s Supreme Court is reconsidering a pre-statehood ban.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 2,476 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending Sept. 6, almost twice the number of infections as were reported in early July.
Negotiations based on Medicare prices will soon take place for medications used to treat heart failure, blood clots, diabetes, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and more.
Starting in 2026, the prices for these drugs will decrease for up to nine million seniors, thanks to a provision in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act that allows Medicare to negotiate the prices for these drugs directly with the manufacturers.
The law ensured that 41,000 Arizonans were able to keep their health insurance, reduced the cost of insulin for over 28,000 seniors, and incentivized several manufacturers to invest in the state and create more clean energy jobs.
The PACT Act removed the need for certain veterans to prove a service connection if they are diagnosed with certain cancers or respiratory conditions and sped up the process of receiving benefits.
Short-term plans offer limited coverage, can deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and trick consumers into buying products that provide “little or no coverage when they need it most."
