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New Navigator polling reveals overwhelming bipartisan support for extending the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on the prices of insulin for seniors to everyone regardless of age. Across political parties, race, ethnicity, and age groups, the support for lowering insulin costs for every American is astonishingly clear. The price cap on insulin for people on Medicare began on January 1, 2023, helping 3.2 million insulin users afford this life-saving medication. 

Protect Our Care is highlighting the importance of lower insulin costs during the Fortnight of Action from February 14 to 28. The Inflation Reduction Act capped monthly insulin copays for seniors on Medicare, but an estimated 21 million Americans who use insulin will not benefit from these savings as a result of Republicans in Congress who blocked a provision to extend the cap to those with private insurance. Lowering insulin costs is especially important for people of color, who disproportionately suffer from diabetes and are more likely to skip, ration, or completely forgo insulin as a result of outrageous costs.

In a country where 80 percent of diabetics have had to go into debt in order to pay for insulin, this type of action by Republicans puts Big Pharma’s profits over real people. This new polling confirms that expanding the insulin copay cap is highly popular and that lawmakers should build on the momentum and extend it so everyone is guaranteed life-saving insulin at an affordable cost.

Meanwhile, Most Republicans Voted Against the Omnibus Bill that Actually Halted Medicare Cuts

Washington DC — Today, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released ads targeting Senate Democrats with lies alleging Democrats want to make cuts to Medicare. The NRSC ads falsely claim that Joe Biden and Democrats in the Senate wanted to slash $36 billion in Medicare funds. The truth is that the December 2022 omnibus spending package prevented these cuts and rolled back scheduled Medicare payment cuts to physicians. Most Senate Republicans and all but nine House Republicans voted against this bill. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House and the Senate have repeatedly proposed serious cuts to Medicare. In response, Protect Our Care Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“The GOP record on Medicare is so atrocious and unpopular, it’s no surprise that they’re once again resorting to spreading lies. This new ad campaign is attempting to scare seniors with false claims about President Biden and Democrats slashing Medicare when in reality most Republicans in Congress voted against the bill that prevented these cuts. Republicans may want to rewrite history for their political benefit but it’s no secret that Republicans are putting Medicare on the chopping block. Over the last several months alone, Republicans have repeatedly proposed serious cuts to Medicare, which would rip away basic benefits seniors have worked their whole lives to earn.”

BACKGROUND:

Republicans Are Lying About Democrats Cutting Medicare

• Republicans are claiming falsely that pandemic relief will lead to cuts in Medicare due to a law called PAYGO
• In fact, the 2022 omnibus spending package halted these automatic PAYGO cuts for Medicare
• The 2022 omnibus also rolled back Medicare payment cuts for physicians, meaning the entire basis for the Republican argument is false

Nearly Every Republican Voted Against Protecting Medicare

• All but nine House Republicans voted against the omnibus bill protecting Medicare from spending cuts as the PHE ended
• More than half of Republican Senators also voted against the 2022 omnibus bill, while every single Democrat voted for it

Republicans Continue to Push to Cuts to Medicare

• The Republican Study Committee, representing over 160 Republicans in Congress, has advocated for Medicare cuts as recently as November of 2022 during omnibus negotiations.
• Republican leaders and recognizable faces like Rick Scott, Mike Pence, Mike Lee, Lindsey Graham, Ron Johnson, and Marco Rubio have all called for cuts to Medicare programs
• In January of 2023, 12 elected Republicans, from Buddy Carter to Brett Guthrie called for cuts to Medicare during debt ceiling negotiations with Barry Loudermilk claiming that “everything was on the table” when it came to cuts
• While Rick Scott wants to pretend sunsetting Medicare won’t lead to cuts, likening it to military spending, Representative Todd Emmer has said the quiet part out loud that “Republicans will not impact defense spending aside from efficiencies and waste. It’s the domestic spending that we’re going to go after.”

Medicare Advantage Plans Drive Insurance Companies’ Sky-High Profits and Have Long History of Fraud and Abuse

Washington DC — Over the past several weeks, the insurance industry has been running a massive advertising campaign to scare seniors into believing the Biden Administration is cutting Medicare. Republicans in Congress are echoing these claims to protect insurance company profits. 

In reality, the Administration is proposing to increase spending on Medicare Advantage by approximately $4 billion while protecting the program from overpayments, fraud, and abuse by big insurance companies. These efforts will improve the quality of Medicare Advantage plans – particularly for underserved populations, strengthen program integrity, and save the Medicare Trust Fund over $15 billion. In response, Protect Our Care Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“It is shameful that insurance companies — with the full support of Republicans in Congress — are running a multi-million dollar disinformation campaign to scare seniors in an effort to protect their sky-high profits. Only the greediest corporations could characterize a $4 billion increase as a ‘cut.’ Meanwhile, these same insurance companies have been accused of fraud and abuse in their management of Medicare Advantage for years. It’s no surprise that Republicans are echoing these falsehoods as part of their campaign to defund Medicare. While the Biden administration is strengthening Medicare, Republicans want to cut Medicare and threaten the health and well-being of millions of seniors.” 

Read the full fact sheet here.

Lacy McGee Was Invited by Senator Warnock Who Has Led the Fight for Lower Insulin Costs for All

Watch Lacy’s Story Here

Lacy McGee is an insulin user from Atlanta who attended President Biden’s State of the Union address as the guest of Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock. She has previously been uninsured and, like so many Americans, struggled to afford her insulin prescription. Even when she was privately insured, Lacy continued to have a hard time affording this life-saving prescription. She has been forced to ration her insulin, use expired or friends’ leftover insulin, and even rely on the black market to obtain this lifesaving medication. Lacy’s story demonstrates the importance of extending the Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 insulin cap to everyone.

Protect Our Care is highlighting the importance of lower insulin costs over the next two weeks. The Inflation Reduction Act capped monthly insulin copays for seniors on Medicare — a game changer for more than three million people, but an estimated 21 million Americans who use insulin are blocked from these savings as a result of Republicans in Congress. Reverend Warnock has been a leader on lower insulin costs, sponsoring the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs, not just for seniors on Medicare, but for millions of diabetics with private insurance. He is a committed health care champion who is fighting for a future where quality, affordable health care is a reality for Georgians and all Americans.

Last year, Republicans in Congress blocked a provision that would have extended the cap to people with private insurance. In a country where 80 percent of diabetics have had to go into debt in order to pay for insulin, this type of action by Republicans puts Big Pharma’s profits over real people. Now, President Biden and Democrats in Congress are fighting to extend these savings to everyone.

When those who rely on insulin stop taking doses as prescribed because they cannot afford it, they suffer severe effects, such as numbness in their feet and nerve damage in the eyes. Taking insulin as prescribed reduces the likelihood of costly complications such as vision loss, heart disease, and kidney disease. Americans are dying as a result of high insulin costs. Read Protect Our Care’s fact sheet here.

Democrats in Congress Are Fighting to Finish the Job of the Inflation Reduction Act and Ensure No One Pays More Than $35 A Month Per Insulin Prescription 

Washington DC — Over the next two weeks, Protect Our Care will be spotlighting the Inflation Reduction Act’s lifesaving provision to cap insulin copays at $35 per month for millions of seniors. Through nationwide events, op-eds, and social media, Protect Our Care will highlight real stories of people saving hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on their insulin costs. The Inflation Reduction Act’s insulin cap took effect in January, benefiting more than three million seniors. 

Last year, Republicans in Congress blocked a provision that would have extended the cap to people with private insurance — putting Big Pharma’s profits over real people. Now, President Biden and Democrats in Congress are fighting to extend these savings to everyone. This would help an estimated 21 million patients afford this vital medication. 

Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“For far too long, Big Pharma has been pulling the strings while diabetics have been forced to ration or skip doses because of the outrageous price of insulin. The Inflation Reduction Act is a monumental step forward to rein in drug company greed, and the insulin cap in particular will save lives. Now, we must build on this progress and extend the insulin cap to everyone who needs it. Republicans’ stance on this issue has already put lives in jeopardy, but we will not quit until everyone can afford the drugs they need to stay alive.” 

FACT SHEET: Millions of Seniors Are Saving Big Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 Insulin Cap

Insulin copays have been capped at $35 a month for everyone on Medicare since January 1, 2023. President Biden and Democrats in Congress have been fighting tirelessly to put money back in the pockets of American seniors, and now their work is paying off. The $35 cap will change the lives of the millions of insulin users on Medicare who will no longer have to decide between affording the medication they need to survive or putting food on the table. Taking insulin as prescribed reduces the likelihood of costly complications such as vision loss, heart disease, and kidney disease.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 3.2 million seniors on Medicare will save money thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 insulin cap.
• 1.5 million people on Medicare would have saved an average $500 in 2020 if the $35 insulin cap were in effect.
• Republicans in Congress blocked a universal insulin cap to help millions more Americans.

The Inflation Reduction Act Is A Game-Changer For Seniors. In 2020, there were more than 3.2 million insulin users relying on Medicare, with nearly 1.7 million purchasing their insulin without low-income subsidies. On average, seniors with Medicare Part D or B who are not receiving subsidies pay an average of $572 every year for this life saving medication — an unthinkable sum for many on fixed incomes. Patients who suffer chronic complications can expect to pay upwards of an additional $650 per year. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, insulin copays for people on Medicare will be capped at $35 each month starting on January 1st. A recent study showed that 1.5 million people on Medicare would have saved an average $500 in 2020 from the $35 insulin cap.

Affordable Insulin Saves Lives. As a result of outrageous costs, many seniors are forced to stop taking their medication or cut doses in half. Diabetics suffer severe effects, such as numbness in their feet and nerve damage in the eyes, when they stop taking doses as prescribed. The insulin cap provision in the Inflation Reduction Act will vastly improve the lives of millions of vulnerable insulin users, and it will save lives.

Affordable Insulin Directly Helps Seniors Of Color. People of color are disproportionately affected by diabetes when compared to their white counterparts with over 12 percent of Black adults and 11.8 percent of Hispanics being diagnosed with the disease. Black Americans also continue to be the hardest hit when it comes to affording their prescription drugs and paying medical bills. 

Rural Americans Disproportionately Struggle To Afford Their Insulin. According to a 2018 study, rural Americans are 17 percent more likely to suffer from diabetes than urban Americans. Diabetes risk factors are higher in rural areas than their urban and suburban counterparts as they have lower access to health care providers, fewer transportation options to receive care, and higher rates of being uninsured. 

Republicans Blocked Insulin Cap For Diabetics Not On Medicare. In early August, as the final negotiations were being made on the Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans in the Senate, unified together to make sure that the $35 insulin cap was not universal. In a country where 80 percent of diabetics have had to go into debt in order to pay for insulin, this type of action by Republicans reeks of the influence of Big Pharma. 

Watch the Video Here.

Yesterday, President Biden traveled to Florida to highlight the administration’s work to lower costs and strengthen health care for seniors. During the event, President Biden called out Governor Ron DeSantis for his failure to expand Medicaid to more than a million hardworking Floridians. President Biden made clear that Republicans’ war on Medicaid has only hurt Floridians and residents of 10 other states that have refused expansion. 

Research shows that Medicaid expansion reduces inequities in health care, strengthens state economies, prevents hospital closures, and saves lives. Importantly, expansion helps reduce racial disparities in health coverage, with the gap between uninsured rates in Black and white Americans decreased by 51 percent in states that expanded Medicaid coverage. Yet Republicans are committed to putting politics over real people and are not only refusing expansion, but are threatening to cut Medicaid along with Social Security and Medicare. 

Florida Phoenix: In The Sunshine State, Biden Makes The Case For Medicaid Expansion; Protects Social Security. “President Joe Biden appeared in Florida on Thursday before an intimate crowd at the University of Tampa, where he pledged to protect Social Security and Medicare and push for Medicaid expansion for vulnerable families. The president also drew a contrast with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida and the architect of a plan that would sunset all federal legislation – including Social Security and Medicare every five years and requiring Congress to approve those programs again.” [Florida Phoenix, 2/9/23]

The Washington Post: Biden Targets Top Florida Republicans DeSantis, Scott Over Health Care In Tampa Stop. “Biden knocked DeSantis for refusing to expand subsidized health care with the help of the federal government and continued to attack Scott for a plan that would require Congress to reauthorize Social Security and Medicare every five years… Biden’s targeting of both DeSantis and Scott is no coincidence. The two are already beginning to draw national attention ahead of the upcoming election year in which DeSantis — fresh off a 19-point reelection victory in Florida last year — is widely expected to run for the GOP presidential nomination.” [The Washington Post, 2/9/23]

Bloomberg: Biden Assails DeSantis Over Health Benefits In Visit To Florida. “The visit to Florida is the latest effort by Biden to put Republicans on the back foot over proposals by some members of their caucus to cut or alter Medicare and Social Security programs as part of a push to slash federal spending — and to lay the groundwork for an expected reelection campaign. A 2024 run could pit Biden against DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination… Proposed cuts to the programs are deeply unpopular — especially among seniors who are historically the demographic most likely to turn out during an election. Just 17% of Americans said they supported reducing spending on the program in an Economist/YouGov poll earlier this year, while seven in 10 Americans said they opposed any such move.” [Bloomberg, 2/9/23]

MarketWatch: Biden Criticizes DeSantis Over His Medicaid Stance While In Florida. “President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized a potential opponent in the 2024 White House race, going after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida while delivering a speech in Tampa. The president noted that Florida is among 11 states that have opted against expansions for Medicaid, the health-insurance program for the poor, that would be 90% funded by the federal government.” [MarketWatch, 2/10/23]

Politico: Biden’s Potential Lifeline For Florida Democrats. “During his short speech at the University of Tampa on Thursday, Biden touched on the tense exchange he had with Republicans on the House floor during his State of the Union address over cutting Medicare and Social Security, bringing up Sen. Rick Scott’s proposal to sunset the two programs in five years. Biden showed the pamphlet and read from it during the speech. “I reminded them that Florida’s own Rick Scott is the guy who ran the Senate campaign committee for Republicans last year,” Biden said. “Had a plan to sunset, maybe he changed his mind, maybe he’s seen the Lord, but he wanted to sunset, meaning if you don’t reauthorize it, it goes away. Sunset social security and Medicare every five years.”” [Politico, 2/9/23]

President Biden Defended Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid This Week As Republicans Continue to Lie About Their Disastrous Record

Watch President Biden Call Out Republicans Here. 

This week, President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address, where he highlighted Republican attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. President Biden also traveled to Florida to discuss the administration’s work to lower costs and strengthen health care for seniors. During the event, President Biden called out Republicans like Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott for blocking Medicaid expansion in Florida and threatening to put Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare on the chopping block every five years. 

While President Biden is committed to protecting and expanding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, the GOP plan would like to slash these vital programs, raise premiums, reverse recent coverage gains, and hike prescription drug costs for the American people. 

Republicans Are On The Run From Their Long History Of Threatening Medicare, Medicaid, And Social Security

Several Republicans have hit back at President Biden — yet Republicans have been on record about destroying these programs for years now. Senator Mike Lee was quick to deny Republican attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, but a video quickly resurfaced of him saying “It will be my objective, to phase out Social Security, to pull it up by the roots and get rid of it…Medicare and Medicaid are of the same sort and need to be pulled out.” Even worse, lawmakers like Senator Ron Johnson have doubled down on his commitment to cut these programs and promoted his policies — even going as far as to call Social Security a “ponzi scheme.”

Recent coverage shows that Republicans have long tried to dismantle Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and that they continue to propose policies that threaten access to quality, affordable health coverage for millions. They cannot rewrite history to try to fool the American people.

The Hill: Scott Doubles Down On Sunsetting All Federal Programs After Biden’s Jab. “Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Wednesday defended his proposal to sunset all federal legislation after five years and slammed President Biden as ‘confused; in response to Biden’s claim at the State of the Union address that some Republicans want to sunset Social Security and Medicare. ‘In my plan, I suggested the following: All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again,’ Scott said in a statement following Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress.” [The Hill, 2/8/23] 

US Sen. Ron Johnson Stands By Medicare, Social Security Remarks After Being Called Out By President Joe Biden. “In a statement to Fox News, Johnson accused Biden of lying about him. But in an interview with WISN-AM in Milwaukee Thursday morning, Johnson stood by his plan, saying it was time to change the way Medicare and Social Security are funded. ‘We’ve got to put everything on-budget so we’re forced to prioritize spending,’ Johnson said. ‘That doesn’t mean putting on the chopping block. That doesn’t mean cutting Social Security. But it does mean prioritizing.’” [Wisconsin Public Radio, 2/9/23] 

Vanity Fair: Republicans Have Long Called to Cut Social Security and Medicare. “Senator Rick Scott, who, as chairman of the GOP’s Senate campaign committee last cycle, unveiled a plan to sunset all federal legislation, which includes Social Security and Medicare, in five years, opening the door for lapses or cuts. Just last summer, Senator Ron Johnson called for subjecting Medicare and Social Security to annual budget negotiations. Lindsey Graham declared entitlement reform a ‘must,’ and the House’s largest Republican caucus, the conservative Republican Study Committee, released a proposal that urged raising the eligibility age for both Medicare and Social Security, called for increased means testing in Medicare, and suggested a move toward privatization for Social Security.” [Vanity Fair, 2/8/23]

Business Insider: Kevin Hern Among House Republicans Who Don’t Want to Take Medicare and Social Security Cuts Out Of Debt Ceiling Negotiations. “They’ve introduced two pieces of legislation — the Trust Act and the Bipartisan Social Security Commission Act — to be included in a debt limit deal, which would create commissions to consider the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. Of the legislation, GOP Rep. Kevin Hern said he ‘wouldn’t think it’d be off the table.’ Hern’s proposals did not specifically address Medicare and Social Security, but Hern told Bloomberg creating a commission to evaluate the solvency of those programs could be a part of the negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.” [Business Insider, 2/6/23]

The Hill: What Have Republicans Actually Said About Social Security and Medicare? “At the center of the current debate over the federal entitlement programs is an 11-point plan released by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) last February, which called for all federal legislation to sunset after five years as part of an effort to curb government spending. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has indicated that he is considering a bid for the presidency in 2024, said last week that a conversation needs to be had about reforming Social Security. When Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) initially ran for Senate in 2010, he called for the complete elimination of Social Security. Similar to Scott, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has suggested that Congress regularly renew the entitlement programs. However, Johnson has proposed that it be done on an annual basis.” [The Hill, 2/8/23]

Washington Informer: Biden Exposed Republican Plans to Cut Social Security and Medicare. “When Republicans like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Utah Sen. Mike Lee interrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address to call him a liar, they may have forgotten their own words… Sen. Mike Lee said, ‘One thing that you probably haven’t ever heard from a politician: it will be my objective to phase out Social Security. To pull it up by the roots and get rid of it.’ In November, John Thune, the number two Senate Republican in leadership, declared that Social Security and Medicare benefits should be slashed. Florida Sen. Rick Scott is championing a plan to put Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security on the chopping block every five years, which would put the health and economic security of 63 million Medicare beneficiaries, 69 million Medicaid beneficiaries and 65 million Social Security beneficiaries at risk. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin proposed sunsetting these laws every year. According to Politico, the Republican Study Committee, which includes most House Republicans, released a budget plan that would raise the entry age. The GOP would also raise taxes on some people who retire early or have a certain income, and they would privatize Social Security.” [Washington Informer, 2/9/23]