December 2023

Thanks to President Biden, More Americans Have Affordable, Quality Coverage Than Ever Before

As 2023 comes to a close, it’s clear that the Biden-Harris administration has gotten results on health care —  lowering costs and protecting coverage for millions of people across the nation. From taking on the drug companies so they can lower prices to reducing insurance costs so more people can afford coverage, Joe Biden really is a health care president. Highlights from 2023 include:

• The nation’s uninsured rate reached the lowest it has ever been in history.
• For the first time ever, Americans on Medicare can get free shingles vaccines and insulin for $35 per month.
• A record 16.3 million people signed up for ACA coverage, and even stronger numbers are expected from the ongoing 2024 open enrollment period.
• Driving down the price of prescription drugs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices on some of the highest cost-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.
• Strengthening affordable coverage for new moms and kids.

President Biden’s dedication to the American people is what makes this list of health care accomplishments so long. But the work continues, President Biden will not give up the fight until every American has access to the high-quality, affordable health care they need to thrive.

January 2023

• The Department of Health and Human Services announced that 16.3 million people have signed up for health coverage during the 2023 open enrollment period. This represents a record number of Americans who signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This is more than a 12 percent increase from the same time last year. 
• On January 1, 2023, two key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act took effect. First, insulin copays are now capped at $35 per month for more than three million diabetics covered by Medicare. Second, all adults on Medicare Part D have access to covered vaccines, such as shingles and Tdap, at no cost. These policies alone will save seniors hundreds of dollars on their health care costs, keep millions of people healthy, and prevent dangerous complications associated with diabetes, shingles, and other serious diseases. 
• President Biden signed a new Executive Order, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, to strengthen and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to deliver equity and build an America in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

February 2023 

• The Biden-Harris administration announced it had effectively implemented the largest adult vaccination program in U.S. history, with nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

March 2023

• As a result of the Biden-Harris administration’s stewardship of the ACA Marketplaces since taking office, 4.4 million more Americans, a total of 16.4 million enrolled in affordable Marketplace coverage.  
• On the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, extending affordable health care to 600,000 North Carolinians.
• The Biden-Harris administration announced that, as a result of the American Rescue Plan, an estimated 462,000 Americans across 30 states and the District of Columbia have access to 12 months of postpartum coverage, a key policy to reduce maternal health disparities that exist for Black, Indigenous, and rural mothers. 
• In response to calls from President Biden, the three largest insulin manufacturers announced $35 monthly out-of-pocket cost caps, lowering costs of about 90% of the insulin on the market.

April 2023

• HHS finalized a rule to crack down on misleading advertising from insurers on Medicare Advantage plans. 
• As the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous coverage requirement ends, the Biden-Harris administration is working to ensure states have the tools and resources available to keep people covered and prevent those who still qualify for Medicaid coverage from losing it, including by making waivers available to make renewing coverage as seamless as possible.
• President Biden announced a historic set of executive actions to support and strengthen the caregiving workforce, including family caregivers and long-term care workers for seniors and people with disabilities.  
• The Department of Justice announced it was seeking a stay of the devastating ruling in Braidwood Management v. Becerra, which ends a major provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires no-cost coverage of lifesaving preventive health care services. Braidwood is the latest effort by ACA opponents and their Republican allies to dismantle American health care. 
• CMS issued two new rules to strengthen access to care for millions of people who rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Together, the two new rules would ensure the 92 million adults and children who rely on Medicaid have meaningful access to health care services including primary care, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, and OB/GYN care by establishing national standards for the time patients must wait to see a provider and the distance they must travel. 
• CMS released a proposal to expand health care to DACA recipients.  

May 2023

• President Biden committed to protecting health care for millions of Americans as Republicans are seeking to rip away coverage for as many as 21 million people who rely on Medicaid through their extreme “Default on America Act.” President Biden told reporters Medicaid is off the table while the White House confirmed “he will not accept proposals that take away peoples’ health coverage.” 
• CMS announced a proposal to increase prescription drug pricing transparency in Medicaid to hold drug manufacturers accountable while saving taxpayers money and strengthening Medicaid. 

June 2023

• President Biden signed legislation protecting millions of Americans’ health care, avoiding default on our nation’s debt. This victory was achieved for the American people despite Republicans’ best effort to rip Medicaid away from 21 million Americans with burdensome paperwork requirements after trying to hold the economy hostage in order to get their way. 
• The Biden administration announced that the number of drugs subject to the Inflation Reduction Act’s inflation penalties has doubled. This means that 43 prescription drugs had price hikes outpacing the annual rate of inflation last quarter, and now these drug manufacturers must pay Medicare a rebate and Medicare beneficiaries will see lower coinsurance costs. According to CMS, beneficiaries could save up to $449 per dose on these drugs.
• The Biden administration announced investments in helping up to 3 million eligible seniors and people with disabilities enroll in the Extra Help program in 2023 to benefit from the program’s lower cost premiums, deductibles, and copayments. The program. The Inflation Reduction Act expanded the program, and the expansion goes into effect in January 2024. 

July 2023

• The Biden administration announced new executive actions to lower health care costs and protect people with pre-existing conditions. The new actions eliminate surprise medical bills and limit junk insurance plans that do not need to cover people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer, and diabetes.
• HHS finalized the guidance that describes how Medicare will negotiate with big drug companies for lower drug prices, and released a new report showing that nearly 19 million people with Medicare will save an average of $400 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s $2,000 annual cost caps alone.

August 2023

• The Biden administration announced the first round of high-cost drugs whose prices will come down as part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. This program will lower prices for some of the highest-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders – conditions that disproportionately impact women, communities of color, and people in rural areas.
• The Biden administration announced that it is requiring states to take immediate action to ensure their Medicaid systems to automatically renew coverage do not disenroll people who currently qualify for Medicaid. This action is essential to protecting coverage for people who rely on Medicaid and will especially help children and people of color stay covered. 

September 2023

• The Biden administration released a historic proposed rule that strengthens prohibitions discrimination for people with disabilities in any program or activity receiving funding from HHS. 
• The Biden administration announced that nearly 500,000 children and adults who were improperly disenrolled from Medicaid and CHIP will regain their coverage. Thanks to the Biden administration’s actions, those people will once again receive Medicaid coverage and any medical bills they incurred while they were disenrolled from the program will be covered. 
• The Biden administration successfully defended a lawsuit from drug company allies that would have halted Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower drug prices.

November 2023

• The Biden administration announced that 1.6 million people have signed up for health care coverage on the ACA Marketplace during the first week of open enrollment, which represents a 50 percent increase over the same period last year. Of those who signed up week one, more than 300,000 were new customers. 
• The White House and HHS released new resources to help support federal agencies, states, local and tribal governments to better coordinate health care, public health, and social services — specifically by releasing the first ever U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health. 
• CMS proposed a rule to allow states to include adult dental services as an essential health benefit that ACA health plans must cover without annual or lifetime limits.
• CMS approved Missouri as the 40th state to implement a full 12 months of Medicaid postpartum coverage, which was an option made available through the American Rescue Plan.

December 2023

• The Biden administration announced plans to lower prices for certain high-priced medicines by developing a policy for using federal “march-in rights” to license drugs to other manufacturers who could sell it for less. The plan includes a new framework for federal agencies to determine when it is appropriate to apply march-in rights authority to a specific high-cost drug that was developed using taxpayer dollars. The move is expected to stop price gouging and boost competition between drug manufacturers to lower prices for patients.
• The Biden administration announced that dozens of drug companies will be required to pay a rebate to Medicare because they raised prices faster than the rate of inflation. In total, 48 drugs under Medicare Part B hiked prices faster than inflation in the last quarter of 2023, and now the rebate payments are expected to save seniors who take these drugs up to $2,786 per dose. 
• The Biden administration also announced a new policy to ensure the best value for taxpayers by establishing a fair pricing standard for medical products purchased by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
• The Biden administration released a new report on the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. Seven of the 10 drugs used taxpayer dollars during development and the rate of growth in spending for these 10 drugs was more than 3 times as fast as for all Part D drugs over the same period. 

For the full list of President Biden’s health care accomplishments, click here.

On the 7th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: a cap on insulin costs.

Medicare capped the cost of insulin at $35 per month thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, more than 3.2 million insulin users on Medicare Part D pay no more than $35 per month for their insulin, regardless of whether a deductible has been met. This provision is a game-changer and will make health care more affordable and equitable for the American people. People of color are disproportionately affected by diabetes with over 12 percent of Black American adults and over 13 percent of Latinos being diagnosed with the disease. 

Before the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, too many diabetic seniors had to skip doses because of the high costs. Reducing or skipping doses without doctor supervision can lead to severe complications, including death. Republicans want to abolish this cap and send seniors back to the days of risking their lives by rationing doses all because they can no longer afford their life-saving medication.

Read More:

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Fact Sheet: The Inflation Reduction Act Has Lowered the Cost of Insulin for Millions of Seniors

On the 6th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: fewer Pharma price hikes.

The Inflation Reduction Act stopped big drug companies from raising Medicare prescription prices faster than the rate of inflation starting at the beginning of 2023. The Biden administration recently announced that the manufacturers of 48 drugs under Medicare Part B hiked prices faster than inflation in the last quarter of 2023 and will now be required to pay back Medicare through lower copays starting on January 1, 2024. The rebate payments are expected to save seniors who rely on these drugs up to $2,786 per dose.

If the GOP is successful in repealing the Inflation Reduction Act, big drug companies will once again be allowed to hike prices however much they want at any time — all at the expense of American families. 

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

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Fact Sheet: Protecting Seniors From Prescription Cost Price Hikes

GREED WATCH: Pfizer, Seagan, Endo Among Greediest Drug Companies Hiking Prices Faster Than Inflation Throughout 2023

Yesterday, President Biden gave an update on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and lowering drug costs for seniors across the nation, including savings from inflation rebates, the $35 monthly cap on insulin, and free vaccines. He highlighted how nearly 15 million patients are saving an average of $800 per year on their health insurance premiums thanks to these measures. 

The update came as the Biden administration announced that dozens of drug companies will be required to pay a rebate to Medicare because they raised prices faster than the rate of inflation. In total, 48 drugs under Medicare Part B hiked prices faster than inflation in the last quarter of 2023, and now the rebate payments are expected to save seniors who take these drugs up to $2,786 per dose. The administration also released new research on the Medicare drug negotiation program. 

During his speech, President Biden noted that at the same time Democrats are lowering costs, Republicans in Congress are fighting to roll back this progress and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic measures to lower drug prices for seniors. Repealing these policies would cost seniors billions of dollars — only putting money back in the pockets of big drug companies. 

AP: Older Americans to Pay Less for Some Drug Treatments as Drugmakers Penalized for Big Price Jumps. “Older Americans to pay less for some drug treatments as drugmakers penalized for big price jumps… The White House unveiled a list of 48 drugs… whose prices increased faster than the rate of inflation this year. Under a new law, drugmakers will have to pay rebates to the federal government because of those price increases. The money will be used to lower the price Medicare enrollees pay on the drugs early next year.” [AP, 12/14/23]

Bloomberg: Biden Touts Drug Rebates as Bid to Crack Down on ‘Price Gouging.’ “‘Simply it’s a rip off,’ Biden said Thursday at the National Institutes of Health, targeting pharmaceutical makers who raise the price of drugs at a faster rate than inflation. ‘They’re ripping off Medicare. They’re ripping off the American people…’ Some 64 drugs were subject to the penalties last year, and the administration is eying a list of 48 new drugs that raised their prices faster than inflation in the past quarter. The White House estimates the rebates lower costs for around 750,000 seniors a year.” [Bloomberg, 12/14/23]

Fierce Healthcare: Biden Administration Flags Dozens of Pharma Companies to Pay Medicare Rebates for ‘Outrageous’ Price Hikes. “Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a list of 48 prescription drugs that will have lower Part B beneficiary coinsurances in the first quarter of 2024, along with other updated guidance on Thursday. ‘Starting in January, some Medicare beneficiaries who take these 48 prescription drugs – including drugs used to treat cancer and fight infections – will have lower coinsurance than what they would have paid otherwise, and their out-of-pocket costs may decrease by $1 to as much as $2,786 per average dose,’ White House officials said.” [Fierce Healthcare, 12/14/23]

The Hill: Biden to Tout Efforts to Lower Prescription Drug Costs in NIH Visit. “The Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping climate and health care law Biden signed in 2022, gives the government the authority to crack down on price gouging around prescription drugs and require companies to pay rebates back to Medicare. The White House said in the last quarter of 2023 that 48 Medicare Part B drugs raised prices faster than inflation. The rebate payments are expected to save seniors who take those drugs between $1 and $2,786 per dose, the White House said.” [The Hill, 12/14/23]

The Messenger: Biden on GOP Efforts to End Health Plans: ‘Americans Don’t Like Being Played for Suckers, Republicans Are OK With That’. “President Joe Biden tore into GOP efforts to end healthcare plans in a speech Thursday about the Inflation Reduction Act, and how it can reduce the costs of prescription medication. … ‘Not a single solitary Republican voted for any of the legislation, which is responsible for so much of this drug savings.’… ‘In short, Republicans want to raise costs for seniors and working families and allow exorbitant profits for Big Pharma,’ the president said.” [The Messenger, 12/14/23]

Reuters: Biden Administration to Impose Inflation Penalties on Dozens of Drugs. “Medicare recipients could benefit by a reduction in their co-insurance payment for any of the drugs by $1 to $2,786 per average dose, according to a government statement. The president, in remarks at the National Institutes of Health, said big pharmaceutical companies, in the year before the law was passed, “jacked up” prices nearly four times faster than inflation went up. ‘They’re ripping off Medicare. They’re ripping off the American people,’ Biden said. ‘We’re going to save taxpayers money and discourage companies from raising prices in the first place.’” [Reuters, 12/14/23]

USA Today: Biden Touts Prescription Drug Savings for Older Americans. “President Joe Biden touted his efforts to promote drug savings during an appearance Thursday at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The inflation penalties are part of Biden’s signature 2022 climate and health law, called the Inflation Reduction Act, which pressures drug companies to limit drug prices in several ways. “It’s about giving folks just a little more breathing room,” said Biden, flanked by doctors and scientists. “For too long, Americans have paid more for prescription drugs than any advanced nation on Earth.”” [USA Today, 12/14/23]

Fox Business: Biden Administration Says Medicare Owed Rebates for Drug Prices That Outpaced Inflation. “Starting in the first quarter of the new year, some seniors who take any of the affected 48 prescription drugs could save as much as $2,786 per average dose, according to the administration. With the IRA, the administration has been working to crack down on “exorbitant price gouging” in the medical industry and lower prescription drug costs for seniors and families.” [Fox Business, 12/14/23]

On the 5th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: lower drug prices.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurers have to cover what are known as “essential health benefits,” and that includes prescription drugs. This required all health insurance plans to cover at least one drug in every category and class of approved medicines.

The Inflation Reduction Act built on these savings with the Medicare Drug Negotiation Program, which gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug costs for seniors. The Biden administration recently announced the first round of high-cost drugs whose prices will come down from negotiation. This includes some of the highest-priced prescription drugs used to treat conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, chronic kidney disease, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis – many of which disproportionately impact women, communities of color, and people in rural areas. 

From day one after passage, Republicans have been attempting to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act in its entirety, placing these improvements at risk. If these efforts succeed, companies like Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, who already spent over $100 million to lobby against the initial passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, will continue raking in billions annually on drugs with no generic alternative while charging Americans four times more than other high-income countries. 

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

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Fact Sheet: American Seniors Will Save As Medicare Negotiates Lower Drug Costs

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Biden administration announced that dozens of drug companies will be required to pay a rebate to Medicare because they raised prices faster than the rate of inflation. In total, 48 drugs under Medicare Part B hiked prices faster than inflation in the last quarter of 2023, and now the rebate payments are expected to save seniors who take these drugs up to $2,786 per dose. This afternoon, President Biden is expected to provide an update on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and lowering drug costs for seniors across the nation, including savings from inflation rebates, the $35 monthly cap on insulin, and free vaccines. The president will also highlight how these policies are saving nearly 15 million patients an average of $800 per year on their health insurance premiums. 

“Thanks to the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act is lowering drug costs for seniors and families across the nation,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Gone are the days when drug companies could raise prices higher than inflation any time they wanted to and without consequence. Now, seniors and taxpayers are saving billions of dollars, and fewer seniors will have to choose between the drugs they need and the drugs they can afford. Meanwhile, Republicans are fighting to repeal all of the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing provisions and savings for families. President Biden stood up to the greed of big drug companies and won, and families are seeing the benefits.” 

The Biden administration also announced a new policy to ensure the best value for taxpayers by establishing a fair pricing standard for medical products purchased by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Additionally, the administration released a new report on the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. Seven of the 10 drugs used taxpayer dollars during development and the rate of growth in spending for these 10 drugs was more than 3 times as fast as for all Part D drugs over the same period. 

These announcements follow a long line of actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken to reduce prescription drug and health care costs for the American people. The Inflation Reduction Act lowered drug prices for millions of seniors by capping insulin costs at $35 per month, limiting outrageous price hikes, and making essential vaccines free for people on Medicare. Soon, total out-of-pocket drug costs will be capped at $2,000 per year for seniors and lower drug prices from Medicare negotiation will take effect. Together, these measures could save seniors thousands of dollars on their health care. 

At the same time, Republicans in Congress are fighting to roll back this progress and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic measures to lower drug prices for seniors. Repealing these policies would cost seniors billions of dollars — only putting money back in the pockets of big drug companies. 

Background:

President Biden’s Health Care Accomplishments Tracker 

On the 4th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: free preventive care.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created access to free preventive care for millions of Americans across the nation. Under the ACA, health plans must cover preventive services — like vaccinations, cancer screenings, contraception, and mammograms – at no cost to consumers. The Inflation Reduction Act expanded this access to include free critical vaccines for seniors, such as shingles and pneumonia. Access to preventive care has improved health outcomes, reduced economic inequity, and saved families money by preventing serious diseases that lead to costly treatments.

If either of these historic laws gets repealed, millions of Americans could once again have to pay for preventive care. Not only are Republicans in Congress advocating for this, but conservatives have taken to the courts to dismantle this core protection. 

In March, a Texas District Judge struck down a provision of the ACA that requires insurers to cover lifesaving preventive services without cost sharing in a politically-driven effort to dismantle the ACA, brought by longtime foes of abortion rights, women’s health, LGBTQI+ rights, and affordable health care. If this ruling stands, it puts millions at the mercy of insurance companies and employers, who could eliminate the benefits entirely or start charging for them, increasing costs for patients by thousands of dollars a year and creating major obstacles to care.

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

As Savings Soar Ahead of First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Threaten Repeal

Trump Vows to “Never Give Up” MAGA-Republican Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Ripping Health Care Away From Millions

Court Approves Agreement on Partial Stay in Braidwood Case