August 2022

As part of week two of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting provisions in the bill that will directly benefit America’s seniors. Democrats in Congress have been working tirelessly to put money back in the pockets of American seniors by capping out-of-pocket costs on prescription medicine. This spending cap will change the lives of the millions of seniors that no longer will have to decide between affording their medication or putting food on the table. 

Fast Facts:

• 49 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs capped at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025. 
• All Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have access to covered vaccines, such as Shingles and pneumonia, at no cost starting in 2023.
• No Medicare beneficiary will pay more than $35 a month for insulin beginning  in 2023.
• 49 million Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes that exceed inflation beginning in 2023 and will pay less for prescription drugs thanks to Medicare’s ability to negotiate prices.

Caps Out-Of-Pocket Spending For Seniors. Seniors with serious conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis will save thousands of dollars on prescriptions under the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help the more than 1.4 million Medicare enrollees who paid more than $2,000 in out-of-pocket costs in 2020. Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs will be capped at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025. The Inflation Reduction Act also allows out-of-pocket spending to be smoothed over the course of the year beginning in 2025, so patients are not forced to pay the entirety of their out-of-pocket cost all at one time.  

Helps Millions Of Seniors Who Can’t Afford Their Prescriptions. The Inflation Reduction Act will help 3.5 million older Americans who have trouble affording their medication forcing them to skip doses or cut pills in half. Over the decade from 2009 to 2019, out-of-pocket spending for older Amerians rose by 41 percent. Seniors often have to sacrifice basic needs such as food or clothing to be able to afford their prescriptions due to rising costs. The Inflation Reduction Act will help older Americans who are Medicare beneficiaries by capping their out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 per year starting in 2025. These seniors will no longer have to choose between life saving prescription drugs and other basic necessities.

As part of week two of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting provisions in the bill that will directly benefit America’s seniors. Democrats in Congress have been working tirelessly to put money back in the pockets of American seniors by giving Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices. Thanks to this key provision, seniors will no longer have to choose between paying for the drugs they need and other essentials like food and housing.

Fast Facts:

• The cost of 80 of the most expensive prescription drugs will be reduced because Medicare has the power to negotiate.
• 49 million Medicare beneficiaries will no longer face Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes that exceed inflation beginning in 2023.
• All Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have access to covered vaccines, such as Shingles and pneumonia, at no cost starting in 2023, insulin price capped at $35 per month, and a $2,000 out-of-pocket price cap on prescription drugs per year.

Gives Medicare The Power To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices. Seniors are disproportionately impacted by high prescription drug costs, with nearly one in four seniors struggling to access the medication they need. Half of all Medicare beneficiaries live on annual incomes below $29,650. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare will be empowered to negotiate prices for select drugs for Medicare Part D’s 49 million beneficiaries. Beginning in 2026, 10 drugs will be negotiated with that number increasing to 15 drugs in 2027, and 20 drugs in 2029 and into the future. By 2030, more than 80 drugs will be eligible for Medicare price negotiation, in addition to insulin products. 

Stops Outrageous Price Increases. The cost of prescription drugs has forced more than one in five seniors not to take medication as prescribed. This has serious health implications for seniors, with 22 percent reporting their health condition worsened as a result. Medicare drug price negotiation could create pressure to decrease commercial prescription prices for the general public as well.

Medicare Price Negotiation Is Widely Supported. A Data For Progress Poll finds an overwhelming majority of Americans from all political stripes strongly back drug price negotiation. 83 percent of likely voters support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, including support from 86 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of independents, and, perhaps most critically, 81 percent of Republican voters. Medicare drug price negotiation has repeatedly been proven to be the most popular policy in the entire bill.

…Again

During the first week of the Inflation Reduction Act theme weeks, Protect Our Care has highlighted Republican lawmakers for their vote against lowering health care and prescription drug costs in the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Republican strategists, dark money groups and serial ACA opponents are now backing a lawsuit seeking to destroy critical health care protections for millions through Kelley v. Becerra, a lawsuit to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

The ongoing litigation in Kelley v Becerra has the potential to singlehandedly strip one of the ACA of its most influential and important aspects, its guaranteed no-cost benefits. The over 63 million women alone who have free birth control due to the ACA’s guaranteed free contraception, over a dozen vaccinations which are provided to the public free of charge (including the flu, whooping cough, and measles which has recently had a resurgence in the American populace), and the numerous free screenings from cancer to infant child care are all now at risk. Republicans know that trying to legislate away these policies led to a popular backlash costing them vital seats in Congress, so they’ve moved back to their strategy of throwing lawsuit after lawsuit to strip the ACA of its teeth. Read more about Kelley v. Becerra here. 

Republican Mega Donors Lead the Charge Against the ACA. John Kelley, one of the plaintiffs in Kelley v Becerra isn’t a newcomer to the Republican war on affordable health care. His first foray into this fight was the 2019 lawsuit against the ACA’s contraceptive mandate DeOtte v. Azar. Long-time GOP mega donor, 2020 election denier, and wannabe musician, Steven Hotze, is another plaintiff in this case who not only was also a part of DeOtte v. Azar, but has brought and lost multiple other parts of the ACA.  

Republican Policymakers and Dark Money Groups Are Behind Kelley v. Becerra. The blatant partisanship doesn’t end with the plaintiffs. The lead attorney for the plaintiffs, John Mitchell, also just happens to be one of the main authors of the far-right Texas vigilante law essentially banning abortion through the state. He has also filed a brief explicitly advocating for the Supreme Court to overrule its Obergefell v. Hodges, which enshrined marriage equality as a right. Meanwhile in the background, the entire plaintiffs’ case is being funded and represented by the America First Legal Foundation, a Trump-aligned group with its advisory board consisting of Trump cabinet members like white nationalist Stephen Miller, the architect of the Trump administration’s harshest immigration policies and a supporter of the forced sterilizations committed by ICE in Georgia. 

The Core of the ACA is at Stake. The ACA secures access to and provides a wide range of services to everyday Americans. Over 63 million people currently do not pay for contraception, which is a project of the ACA, saving them nearly $1.4 billion in just the first year the ACA was implemented alone. Another ACA requirement gives pregnant people access to recommended prenatal care, including no-cost preeclampsia screenings and folic acid, to help assist in a healthy pregnancy. Health insurance companies are also required to cover screenings for breast, lung, cervical, and colorectal cancers, hepatitis B and C, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, in addition to others. Over a dozen vaccinations for both adults and children that Americans have gotten used to being free, through coverage without cost-sharing, is also due to critical ACA requirements, providing a vital public health measure in the fight against everything from COVID to polio. Fighting the HIV epidemic is a main priority of the ACA and as such it guarantees access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a drug that is proven to reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 99 percent. If this lawsuit succeeds, all of these benefits would disappear in an instant and the Republican project aiming to force Americans into undue debt, stress, and death due to exorbitant medical costs will be one step closer to being realized.

Republicans Will Throw Out Everything Including the Kitchen Sink to Make Sure Americans Can’t Get Affordable Health Care

As part of the first week of the Inflation Reduction Act theme weeks, Protect Our Care has dug into the records of GOP members in the House and Senate who are continuing to fight tooth and nail to take away Americans’ access to quality and affordable health care. Every single Republican in the House of Representatives voted against the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and every single Republican in the House of Representatives is also up for reelection in November.

Republicans Seek to Repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. House Republicans led by Texas Representative Chip Roy are falling in line to support the full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act the moment they retake control of the House. All of this while Republican leadership knows that this same type of messaging is what led to disastrous Republican defeats after they failed to repeal the ACA. It doesn’t matter that the Inflation Reduction Act has a vast supermajority of popular support and will lower health care costs for millions of Americans. All that matters to Republicans is that they get one over on Democrats, even if it is in spite of the people they are supposed to represent.

Republicans Threaten to Shut Down the Government to Keep Drug Prices High. Over 80 percent of Americans support capping out of pocket drug costs for seniors. Over 75 percent of Americans support Medicare having negotiating powers to lower prescription drug costs. Yet the Republican Party led by House member Scott Perry would rather shut down the federal government and cost taxpayers billions than allow for Americans to have access to affordable medications. So much for being fiscally conservative.

Republicans Support Ending the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid. House Republicans are lining up behind a plan by Senator Rick Scott to sunset all federal legislation within five years. Already vocal members of the House like Matt Gaetz have publicly backed this plan which would put in jeopardy not just the Inflation Reduction Act, but the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid. This ambitious project to rip away from Americans the vital quality and affordable health care they need is just another example of the tantrum being thrown by elected Republicans.

Republicans Continue to Complain but Do Nothing. It doesn’t matter if you are a part of Republican House leadership or if you’re a freshman congressperson, the game plan is all the same: fight everything kicking and screaming but then complain when things aren’t getting done. Republicans have made inflation one of their top talking points going into this election, yet every single one voted against legislation experts say will significantly reduce inflation. House Republicans don’t support reducing inflation. House Republicans don’t support lowering prescription drug costs (even when they vocally supported it before). House Republicans don’t support tax credits to lower health care costs. What is it House Republicans even do support?

While On Luxury Yacht Vacation In Italy, There Is No Doubt Scott Is Dreaming Up Ways To Raise Health Care Costs

As part of GOP Accountability Week, week one of the Inflation Reduction Act theme weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting Republican lawmakers that are fighting against reforms to lower health care costs for the American people. Every Republican in the House and Senate opted to keep drug prices high and charge millions of Americans more for health care by voting against the bill. 

Senator Scott is among the most egregious offenders when it comes to attacking American health care. As chair of the NRSC, Senator Scott proposed an 11 point Republican plan that would sunset all federal legislation in five years. Not only would the Rick Scott plan put the Affordable Care Act in grave danger, but it threatens every federal health program, including Medicare and Medicaid. In total, tens of millions of Americans could face complete coverage loss. Senator Scott has also announced a government shutdown to roll back the popular Inflation Reduction Act effectively making Americans pay more for their health care and prescriptions. 

Senator Scott Voted Against The Inflation Reduction Act. Alongside all of his Republican colleagues, Rick Scott voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant piece of healthcare legislation since the passage of the ACA. The bill extends enhanced premium tax credits through 2025 and drives down prescription drug prices by giving Medicare the power to negotiate, capping seniors’ out-of-pocket costs for drugs at $2,000 per year, limiting insulin costs, and stopping Big Pharma’s egregious price hikes. This ‘no’ vote comes on the heels of Scott’s refusal to support the American Rescue Plan, historic legislation which provided measures to expand coverage and to dramatically lower health care costs for thousands of Florida families. In addition to providing critical pandemic relief, the ARP lowered premiums for people purchasing coverage through the marketplaces and expanded access to financial assistance for more middle-class families.

Rick Scott’s Plan For America Would “Sunset” The Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. The latest in Rick Scott’s attempts to restrict health care include a proposed plan to end the ACA altogether. As chair of the NRSC, Senator Scott proposed an 11 point Republican plan that would sunset all federal legislation in five years. Not only would the Rick Scott plan put the Affordable Care Act in grave danger, but it threatens every federal health program, including Medicare and Medicaid. When asked about the ACA’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Scott stated, “I don’t believe in grand bargains…We’ve got to reward people for caring for themselves.” As Governor of Florida, Rick Scott refused Medicaid expansion that would cover 833,000 Floridians and attempted to make it more difficult for Floridians to sign up for Medicaid, suggesting a reduction in the amount of time individuals have to enroll from 90 to 30 days. Scott isn’t alone in his support for this radical plan. The following Republicans have publicly supported the plan: Senator Ron Johnson, RNC Chairwoman Rona McDaniel, Senator Mike Braun, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Tommy Tuberville, Congressman Matt Gaetz, and Senator Joni Ernst.     

Rick Scott Is Threatening A Government Shutdown To Force Americans To Pay More For Prescription Drugs And Health Care. On an Actualidad Radio show on August 17, Scott said that if Republicans take control of the Senate in November they could pass their own reconciliation bill and shut down the government to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. It is unlikely that a Republican reconciliation bill to unravel the Democrats’ bill would overcome a veto by President Biden. The Inflation Reduction Act is incredibly popular among the American public. Two in three Americans support the legislation with health care provisions to lower the cost of insurance and prescription drug prices being the most popular policies in the bill.

Senator Scott Is In The Pocket Of Big Pharma. It is no wonder why Senator Scott is so opposed to efforts to rein in pharmaceutical companies and lower the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans. Since taking office in 2019, Rick Scott has received $109,430 in contributions from pharmaceutical PACs and executives. 

As part of week one of the Inflation Reduction Act themed weeks, Protect Our Care is highlighting GOP lawmakers that are fighting against reforms to lower health care costs for the American people. Senator Ron Johnson’s record on health care is as abysmal as it comes, and it disqualifies him for another term in the U.S. Senate. 

Over the years, Ron Johnson voted to rip health care coverage from 416,600 Wisconsinites and strip protections from 2.4 million Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions, and he still thinks that Republicans should repeal the ACA if they’re given power again. His latest rantings include stripping mandatory funding for essential government programs, such as Social Security and Medicare. Senator Johnson voted against the Inflation Reduction Act which lowers drug prices and expands coverage — policies that are supported by Wisconsonites from all walks of life. Republicans like Senator Johnson are completely out of touch with the economic and health worries that keep families up at night as they continue to put industry profits ahead of their constituents. Wisconsin voters are sick and tired of Ron Johnson’s dangerous antics.

Blocking Health Care And Relief for Wisconsinites

Senator Johnson Voted Against The Inflation Reduction Act. Alongside all of his Republican colleagues, Ron Johnson voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant piece of healthcare legislation since the passage of the ACA. The bill extends enhanced premium tax credits through 2025 and drives down prescription drug prices by giving Medicare the power to negotiate, capping seniors’ out-of-pocket costs for drugs at $2,000 per year, limiting insulin costs, and stopping Big Pharma’s egregious price hikes. Johnson even went out of his way to strip out a critical health care provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, which would have capped insulin at $35 a month for millions of diabetics with private insurance. This ‘no’ vote comes on the heels of Johnson’s refusal to support the American Rescue Plan, historic legislation which provided measures to expand coverage and to dramatically lower health care costs for thousands of Wisconsin families. In addition to providing critical pandemic relief, the ARP lowered premiums for people purchasing coverage through the marketplaces and expanded access to financial assistance for more middle-class families. 

Senator Johnson Still Wants To Repeal The ACA. As recently as March of this year Ron Johnson said that if Republicans control Congress and the White House in 2024, they’re going to repeal the ACA. According to Johnson, “If we’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare — I still think we need to fix our health-care system — we need to have the plan ahead of time so that once we get in office, we can implement it immediately, not knock around like we did last time and fail,” Johnson also supports Senator Rick Scott’s disastrous plan that would “sunset” the ACA, Medicare, Social Security and other vital federal health laws every five years. And after Republicans could not muster the votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017, Senator Johnson said he remained hopeful that the Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson bill would pass even after the rest of the GOP conceded defeat. 

Senator Johnson Is Fighting To End Medicare, Medicaid, and The Affordable Care Act. In August of 2022, Johnson built off a proposal originally put forth by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) to sunset all federal programs every five years, by suggesting that Medicare funding should be solely discretionary and approved by Congress on a yearly basis. Appearing to support ending the Medicare program to reduce the national deficit, Johnson said,  “If you qualify for the entitlement, you just get it no matter what the cost [a]nd our problem in this country is that more than 70 percent of our federal budget, of our federal spending, is all mandatory spending…What we ought to be doing is we ought to turn everything into discretionary spending…” This is a continuation of Johnson’s outlandish proposals to upend American health care. In 2017, Senator Johnson claimed that Medicaid expansion put at risk “traditional Medicaid for the elderly, disabled and children.” The real threat to traditional Medicaid existed in the years-long Republican repeal efforts which worked to gut the program and turn it into a “per capita” program. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found the Senate repeal bill Johnson backed would have cut Medicaid by $756 billion over the following decade, and another estimate found it would have cut Medicaid by more than $2 trillion over the following 20 years, or more than one-third. 

Senator Johnson Is A Leader In Efforts To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. In 2017, Senator Johnson co-sponsored the Cassdiy-Graham-Heller-Johnson bill which would have repealed the Affordable Care Act, and was widely considered to be the worst of the repeal efforts. Had Senator Johnson been successful, his bill would have dismantled Medicaid expansion, eliminated the Affordable Care Act tax credits, capped and cut Medicaid funding — permanently transforming the program into a per capita program, and caused millions of Americans to lose coverage and protections for pre-existing conditions. 

Senator Johnson’s Reckless Policies Are A Threat To Wisconsinites. Senator Johnson repeatedly voted to rip coverage from 416,600 Wisconsinites who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act. His actions would have also stripped protections from 2.4 million Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions.

Senator Johnson Has Been Front And Center On The Most Outlandish ACA Attacks. In 2014, Senator Ron Johnson filed a lawsuit challenging a rule allowing lawmakers and their staff to continue to receive a government contribution toward premiums, but only if they enroll in a specific ACA plan. The Justice Department asked that the lawsuit be dismissed due to the fact Johnson was not “directly injured” by the regulation and therefore had no legal standing to sue. Johnson continued with the suit despite pleas from the Republican delegation in his own state to stop the scarade. Johnson also disclosed that he was planning to use his campaign account to raise funds for the suit, clearly demonstrating the political motive driving his actions. 

Senator Johnson Prioritized Eliminating Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions. Senator Johnson was determined to eliminate one of the most popular aspects of the Affordable Care Act — its protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions — arguing insurance companies should not be forced to cover people regardless of their health status. Johnson even went so far as to claim covering individuals with pre-existing conditions would collapse the health care system, stating, “We know what caused premiums to increase…th[e] guaranteed issue [of health insurance] collapses markets.”

Senator Johnson Is In The Pocket Of Big Pharma. It is no wonder why Senator Johnson is so opposed to efforts to rein in pharmaceutical companies and lower the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans. Since taking office in 2011, Ron Johnson has received $270,244 in contributions from pharmaceutical PACs and executives. 

Senator Johnson Tried To Blame The Opioid Crisis On The Affordable Care Act. Stooping to a new low, Senator Johnson claimed that Medicaid expansion created the opioid epidemic. Despite the fact that the CDC declared the opioid crisis an epidemic in 2011, three years prior to Medicaid expansion, Johnson attempted to draw a nonexistent connection between affordable health care and increased substance abuse.