October 2022

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2022 AT 2:45 PM ET***

 Care Force One Rolls into Hartford on Tuesday as Part of Nationwide “Lower Cost, Better Care” Tour

HARTFORD — Tomorrow, Governor Ned Lamont and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) will join health care advocates and local residents as part of Protect Our Care’s nationwide bus tour celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act’s measures to drive down health care costs for millions of working families and seniors. At tomorrow’s event, speakers will discuss how the bill lowers premiums for 13 million Americans, reins in prescription drug prices, and takes important steps to improve health equity, and they will let Nuttmeggers know how and when they can access these new benefits. The event will take place in front of Care Force One in front of the Connecticut State Capitol on Tuesday, October 4.

WHO:
Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT)
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Deby Gould, health care storyteller
Ayesha Clarke, MPH, MSW
Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate
Leslie Dach, Protect Our Care

WHAT: Protect Our Care “Lower Cost, Better Care” Bus Tour Press Conference 

WHERE: Connecticut State Capitol, 210 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT

WHEN: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 2:45 PM ET

The bus, called Care Force One, will travel 12,000 miles across the country, with more than 40 events in 21 states. Protect Our Care’s national bus tour is promoting the new benefits available to the American people thanks to the work of President Biden and dozens of Democratic lawmakers who championed the Inflation Reduction Act. During each event, Protect Our Care will also call out Republicans in Congress for rejecting measures to improve care, lower costs, and address racial inequities in health care for the American people.

For more information on the Protect Our Care “Lower Cost, Better Care” Bus Tour visit  https://www.protectourcare.org/bus-tour/

Washington DC — Last week, the first health care provision in the Inflation Reduction Act took effect, an important step to deliver lower costs to millions of Americans. As of October 1, 2022, drug companies will now be charged a penalty when they raise drug prices faster than the rate of inflation. In recent years, Americans have been paying three times more than people in other countries for the same prescription drugs. Just last week, the Department of Health and Human Services found that drug companies hiked prices more than the rate of inflation on more than 1,200 medications. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“For the first time in a long time, patients come ahead of drug companies. Starting this month, drug companies face stiff penalties if they jack up the price of prescription drugs in order to pad their profits, boost their stock buybacks, or give bonuses to their CEOs. For years, patients have faced prescription drug prices that rise so fast they can’t keep pace, and too many have to choose between buying food for their family or prescription drugs that keep them alive. Under President Biden and Democrats’ landmark Inflation Reduction Act, prescription drug prices will come down and patients will be able to breathe a little easier.”

From AXIOS: 

“Drugmakers raised the list prices of more than 1,200 treatments above the 8.5 percent rate of inflation from July 2021 to July 2022, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services.” 

From Endpoints News:  

“Beginning tomorrow, biopharma companies can be charged rebates for any new drug price increases rising faster than the rate of inflation.

The new rebates are part of the newly signed Inflation Reduction Act, which introduces this new requirement that manufacturers pay rebates to Medicare for Part D drugs whose price increases exceed inflation, and in January 2023, the same will occur with Part B drugs.”