***VIDEO OF THE EVENT HERE***
***PHOTOS OF THE EVENT HERE***
***AUDIO OF THE EVENT HERE***
(Issaquah, WA)—Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Congresswoman Dr. Kim Schrier (WA-08) met with advocates and seniors from East King County to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic provisions to lower prescription drug costs for Washington state seniors, including by finally allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs—which Senator Murray has fought for years to get done. At the event, Senator Murray and Rep. Schrier also highlighted how the IRA will cap Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs at $2,000 a year, cap their insulin costs at $35 a month, and cap price increases on their prescriptions at the rate of inflation so that drug makers cannot jack up prices to pad their own profits—helping Washington state’s more than 1.4 million Medicare recipients save money on their prescriptions.
As Chair of the Senate Health Committee, Senator Murray helped lead Senate Democrats in passing the Inflation Reduction Act’s prescription drug provisions, which was signed into law just last week. Rep. Schrier, who has type 1 diabetes and is one of the few doctors in Congress, has been leading the push in the House to cap insulin costs at $35 and had her bill to speed up getting generic insulin options on the market implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last year.
“Skyrocketing drug costs have been hard on families across Washington, and across the country,” said Senator Murray. “Too many people have been facing impossible choices because of skyrocketing drug costs, like skipping meals or skipping their medication just to make ends meet—all while drug companies are jacking up prices and raking in massive profits. That’s why I fought tooth and nail to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, lower drug costs, and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. This bill is going to be life changing—and lifesaving—for so many seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare to get the care they need.”
“Since I began in Congress, my constituents have been telling me that they need relief from rising health care and prescription drug costs. The Inflation Reduction Act, now law. is the answer to their concern,” said Rep. Schrier. “It will finally allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, cap out of pocket costs for seniors and cap insulin prices for seniors at $35 a month, and continue to cap health care premiums at 8.5% of a family’s income. First included in the American Rescue Plan and now in this law, this premium cap has cut premiums in half for the average 8th district family and has achieved record low numbers of people without insurance. At a time when families are feeling pinched by costs, this law will make a meaningful difference in their lives. ”
“We are grateful for Sen. Murray and Rep. Schrier’s leadership to pass the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Dr. Elizabeth Wako, M.D., Chief Executive, Central Puget Sound, Providence Swedish. “Not only does it provide financial relief on prescription drug costs for our seniors, but it extends health insurance access for millions of Americans and includes the largest investment in climate action in our country’s history.”
“I’m a relatively healthy senior but need expensive prescription drugs to treat my dry eye condition,” said Jackie Boschok, President, Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans. “I look forward to being one of the more than 29,000 Medicare Part D enrollees in Washington State alone, who experienced out-of-pocket prescription drug costs over $2,000 in 2021 that will now have those costs capped at $2,000 per year.”
“AARP has spent decades calling on Congress to make prescription drugs more affordable, and we finally won the fight for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, thanks to the commitment of legislators like Senator Murray and Representative Schrier,” said Cathy MacCaul, Advocacy Director for the Washington state AARP. “We can’t overstate what a monumental improvement this prescription drug package will be for older Americans.”
“The Inflation Reduction Act is a monumental piece of legislation that has major benefits for disadvantaged communities. We will see substantive action on climate change that lessens the burden on low-income BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee communities who are disproportionately impacted by this crisis,” said Michael Byun, Executive Director for Asian Counseling and Referral Services. “We also see positive changes for the health and wellbeing of Asians, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders with lower health care premiums and expansion of coverage so that everyone has access to high quality health care. These are just a couple of important examples to highlight in the Inflation Reduction Act and we thank Senator Murray and Congresswoman Schrier for their leadership in making this possible.”
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