White House Plan To Negotiate Drug Prices Could Affect 165,000 Arizonans
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.
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."
The Lower Drug Costs for Families Act would require drug companies to pay a penalty if they raise prices faster than inflation and use those funds to protect and preserve Medicare.
The Biden administration announced recently that the U.S. will no longer be in a COVID-19 emergency as of May 11, which means that an estimated five to 14 million Americans could lose access to health insurance via Medicaid.
Democratic lawmakers tried to pass a second bill that would have added paid sick days to the agreement, but were unable to reach the 60-vote threshold needed in the Senate, due to most Republican senators opposing the measure.