News

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 AT 11:00 AM ET***

West Virginians Are Eager to Hear President Biden’s Plans to Lower Rx Drug Prices and Expand Access to Affordable Health Care  

West Virginia — On Thursday, February 24th at 11:00 AM, health care advocates will join Protect Our Care WV to discuss what West Virginians hope to hear from President Biden when he delivers his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1. President Biden and Democrats in Congress have made lowering costs and expanding access to health care a priority, and have been working hard to lower insurance premiums, give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices, expand affordable coverage to millions by closing the Medicaid coverage gap, extend Medicare benefits, and invest in care for seniors and people with disabilities. 

Provisions in the 2021 American Rescue Plan made coverage more affordable than ever before, with enhanced premium tax credits allowing four out of five eligible enrollees to find a plan for $10 or less per month. A record number of Americans signed up for coverage during the ACA open enrollment period, underscoring the need for Congress to make benefits such as the ACA subsidies in the American Rescue Plan permanent.

President Biden is expected to address the urgent need to pass these health care measures as soon as possible, and highlight the importance of lowering health care costs for West Virginians and millions of Americans across the country. 

WHO:

Rhonda Rogombe, WVCBP

Dr. Jessica Ice, WVAHC

Mindy Salango, patient advocate

Lynette Maselli, Protect Our Care WV

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHEN: Thursday, February 24th at 11:00 AM 

WHERE: Register to join the Zoom event (Registration required)

 

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Watch the Full Event Here.

Washington, D.C. — This morning, U.S. Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) and AARP’s Nancy LeaMond joined Protect Our Care to discuss the ongoing efforts to ensure that Congress passes legislation to bring down prescription drug prices. Representative Wild recently led a letter alongside 40 House Democrats urging Congress to move quickly to pass drug pricing legislation. President Biden has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to bringing down drug prices to lower the cost of living for Americans. 

“Lowering the costs of prescription drugs needs to be our number one priority in Congress,” said Representative Susan Wild (PA-07). “There is still a lot of work left to do to lower drug costs that have been too high for too long. Until Congress passes robust legislation to tackle these reforms, drug prices will continue to skyrocket, and millions of Americans will continue to make the impossible decision between putting food on the table for their families or purchasing their lifesaving medications.”

“For too many years, seniors have been forced to choose between the medicines they need and paying for other essentials like rent and food. They are sick and tired of waiting for Congress to act. Congress has promised for years to address the price of prescription drugs. Now is the time to get the job done,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer.

“At the end of this past year, I was at the point of possibly losing my COBRA insurance and having to figure out how I was going to be paying my medical bills,” said Sarah Opatovsky, patient storyteller from Bethlehem, PA. “We shouldn’t have a system where people rely on charity if they can’t afford their medical bills. The free market does not work when the consumer doesn’t have a real choice between taking medication or not.  We have to tackle the issue of why these prices are being charged in the first place by pharmaceutical companies.”

“Addressing high drug prices is the single most important thing lawmakers can do to lower the cost of living for families,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Democrats, Republicans, and independents overwhelmingly support giving Medicare the power to negotiate, capping seniors’ out-of pocket costs, limiting insulin costs, and cracking down on outrageous price hikes. Support for ending big drug company greed has only grown, and we are confident that under the strong leadership of President Biden and health care champions like Rep. Wild, we will get all of these measures to lower drug prices over the finish line.”

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18 AT 11:30 AM ET***

Manchster, NH — Today, Friday, February 18, 2022 at 11:30 AM ET, Granite Staters will join U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) and Protect Our Care New Hampshire to discuss the urgent need for prescription drug reform. Rep. Pappas was among the 40 House Democrats who sent a new letter urging Congressional leadership to pass life-saving drug reform legislation to lower the price of medications for NH residents and millions of Americans. 

As Americans worry about rising costs and inflation, drug costs continue to surge. Between 2008 and 2016 brand-name oral prescription drugs saw cost hikes of 9% annually, while injectable drugs priced up 15% per year. The high cost of prescription drugs is also a significant driver of personal medical debt. Meanwhile, drug companies continue to rake in record profits.  Between 2000 and 2018, 35 big drug companies had a combined revenue of $11.5 trillion, with a gross profit of $8.6 trillion.

VIRTUAL EVENT: 

WHO:
U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH-01)
Sandi Denoncour, registered nurse and Executive Director at Joan G. Lovering Health Center
Sergio Zullich, Pharmacy Director at Indian Stream
Amy Brady, storyteller from Hollis, NH
Mike Costaldo, storyteller from Dover, NH
Dianne McCann, retired nurse and storyteller from Durham, NH

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference

WHEN: Friday, February 18, 2022 at 11:30 AM ET

WHERE: Send Email to Register for the Event

Washington DC — Today, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) will introduce the Affordable Insulin Now Act, legislation that caps out-of-pocket insulin costs for millions of diabetics with private insurance and Medicare coverage. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“For decades, millions of diabetics in this country have had to pay outrageous prices for the medications they need to survive. Even when insulin vials only cost a few dollars to produce, drug companies have hiked the price to hundreds of dollars per month, forcing patients to ration insulin and skip doses altogether — which can have devastating consequences. Senator Warnock’s bill capping insulin out-of-pocket costs to $35 a month for Americans with insurance will put more money in families’ pockets and give them peace of mind knowing they won’t have to choose between purchasing this life saving medication and putting food on the table. We commend Senator Warnock for his unwavering commitment to fighting for a future where quality, affordable health care is a reality for every American.” 

As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden and Democrats in Congress are planning for the long-term success of American families. Build Back Better makes essential investments in the areas all Americans need to live healthy lives and improves their capacity to participate in the economy, including lowering costs for prescription drugs, health insurance premiums, hearing care, and home health services. Build Back Better is a critical tool in rebuilding the post-pandemic economy, which is exactly why 17 recipients of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences authored an open letter in support of President Biden’s Build Back Better package and urged its passage. 

The Five Ways Build Back Better Lowers the Cost of Living

• Checks Big Pharma’s Greed And Cuts Drug Costs. Over the past 20 years, price increases for brand-name drugs in Medicare Part D have risen at more than twice the rate of inflation. Build Back Better stops this predatory practice from Big Pharma by prohibiting drug companies from raising prices faster than the rate of inflation. This cap would apply to all Americans, and is essential to stop arbitrary price increases on life saving medications. Additionally, Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs would be capped at $2,000 per year and insulin co-pays for all Americans with insurance would be capped at $35 each month. 
• Cuts Monthly Premiums For Nine Million Americans. Build Back Better would be the most significant expansion of American health care since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, by reducing health care premiums for more than nine million Americans purchasing their own coverage through the marketplaces. Individuals would save an average of $600 annually on their premiums and for a family of four making $80,000 a year, premiums will drop nearly $250 a month, or nearly $3,000 a year. Not only would these savings have a profound impact on individuals and families alike, the thousands saved would be reinvested in the American economy. 
• Closes The Medicaid Gap And Cuts Medical Debt. Build Back Better would allow more than two million Americans currently trapped in the Medicaid coverage gap to access zero dollar premium health coverage. Of those currently in the coverage gap, 62 percent are in the labor force, 30 percent are parents with children at home, more than 25 percent are essential workers, and 15 percent of adults have a disability. Medicaid expansion under the ACA caused a significant reduction in poverty and reduced income inequality across the board by more than 5 percent. In states that have expanded Medicaid, the chance of accruing medical debt is 20 percent lower than non-expansion states and, a 2018 analysis found that Medicaid expansion led to a nearly $6 billion decline in unpaid medical bills and to higher credit scores.
• Gives Health Workers And Families A Boost. For years, American families have been struggling to keep their loved ones at home, while the home health care workers caring for them have barely been able to make ends meet. Build Back Better addresses both issues. Currently older Americans and people with disabilities are often forced to liquidate their assets to afford as little as two years of in-home care. Build Back Better would save families paying out-of-pocket an estimated $5,800 a year for four hours of care per week. The direct care workers, who are disproportionately Black, female, and earning less than $30,000 a year, would receive a long overdue pay increase that would combat the HCBS workforce shortage that has been exacerbated by the pandemic and historically low wages. Not only will Build Back Better put more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans and their families, but it will also help to address longstanding gender and racial wealth equity problems.
• Provides A Lifeline To Seniors. Currently, 36 million Medicare beneficiaries either lack hearing coverage or are forced to purchase it on fixed incomes. In 2018, the average out-of-pocket cost for hearing care was $914. These costs create serious financial barriers for the 50 percent of Medicare beneficiaries living on incomes below $29,650 per year. The societal cost associated with age-related hearing loss is nearly $300,000 over the life of each impacted individual, making the hearing provision in Build Back Better not only an essential health benefit, but a significant benefit to the economy as well. 

Yesterday, President Biden joined U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) in Virginia to urge the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act’s provisions to lower health care and prescription drug costs. During the event, President Biden made clear that lowering prescription drug prices is essential to fight inflation and “ease the burden on working families.” Polling shows unwavering support for Build Back Better’s health care measures, and coverage makes clear that Democrats’ remain committed to getting Build Back Better over the finish line. 

COVERAGE: 

Culpeper Star Exponent: ‘Everyone Has Less Money In Their Pockets’ – President Biden Talks Health Care Costs In Culpeper. “‘Everyone has less money in their pockets today because…of health insurance—it’s more expensive for everyone,’ the president said of a 50 percent hike in those costs in the past decade. ‘Prescription drugs are a big chunk of that.’ The president’s plan would also allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and cap out-of-pocket annual drug costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000. U.S. citizens pay about two to three times more for prescription drugs than other developed countries, Biden said.” [Culpeper Star Exponent, 2/10/22]

CNN: Biden Argues Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Is Key To Easing Everyday Costs For American Families. “President Joe Biden traveled to Virginia on Thursday to argue that his plan for lowering prescription drug prices would ease one of the largest financial burdens American families face at a time when they are coping with rising costs of food, gas and other necessities… The President also praised several Virginia Democrats during his speech, including Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who represents the swing district where Biden’s remarks took place. Spanberger is up for reelection this fall, and Democrats are trying to hold on to their majorities in the House of Representative and the Senate.” [CNN, 2/10/22]

Reuters: Biden Touts Plan To Bring Down Drug Prices As Helping To Tame Inflation. “U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday touted his plan to bring down the cost of prescription drugs as an antidote to high inflation on a day when government data showed consumer prices posted their biggest annual gain in 40 years in January… Biden’s plan, contained within the Build Back Better legislation, would give the federal government’s Medicare program for seniors authorization to negotiate drug prices for the first time.” [Reuters, 2/10/22]

Roll Call: In Battleground Virginia District, Biden Touts Spanberger Work On Health Care. “‘Bringing down the cost of health care, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, is an easy thing for us to do. It can be done legally with a stroke of a pen,’ Biden said at a community college in Culpeper, Va. ‘We just got to get Abigail’s enthusiasm that she got it through in the House of Representatives to the United States Senate.’” [Roll Call, 2/10/22]

ABC 8 News: Biden, Spanberger Call For Action On Drug Prices During VA Visit. “Biden highlighted the fact that Americans regularly pay much higher prices than the rest of the world for identical drugs – often even those sold by the same company… Spanberger said that while many people in her district, which stretches from Culpeper to Nottoway, have suffered as a result of high drug prices, the issue is really national in scope… The legislative priorities they outlined are almost all included in Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which Spanberger supported when it passed the House of Representatives last year. But the bill has been stalled in the senate, where conservative West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin has effectively stalled it.” [ABC 8 News, 2/10/22]

See more: ROUNDUP: President Biden and Representative Spanberger Urge Congress to Get Build Back Better Over the Finish Line for Lower Drug Prices

POLLING:

Navigator Finds Giving Medicare The Power To Negotiate Prescription Drug Prices Remains Top Reason Americans Want Build Back Better Passed. Four out of the five top priorities are health provisions included in Build Back Better. [Navigator, 1/28/22]

• • Drug Price Negotiation. Overall, 79 percent believed empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices was a good reason to pass BBB, including 92 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents, and 66 percent of Republicans. [Navigator, 1/28/22]
  • Insulin Cost Capping. Overall, 78 percent believed capping insulin copays at $35 a month was a good reason to pass BBB, including 90 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents, and 64 percent of Republicans. [Navigator, 1/28/22]
  • Lowering Premiums. Overall, 78 percent believed lowering premiums for people purchasing health coverage on their own was a good reason to pass BBB, including 91 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents, and 64 percent of Republicans. [Navigator, 1/28/22]
  • Expanding Medicare To Cover Hearing. Overall, 76 percent believed expanding Medicare to cover hearing aids was a good reason to pass BBB, including 92 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of independents, and 60 percent of Republicans. [Navigator, 1/28/22]

Navigator Poll Demonstrates The Majority of Americans Continue To Support Build Back Better’s Provisions To Lower Prescription Drug Prices. Overall, 70 percent of registered voters support the Medicare drug price negotiation provision in Build Back Better, including 91 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of Independents, and 48 percent of Republicans. [Navigator, 1/12/22]

Voters From Across Political Spectrum Strongly Support Cutting Prescription Drug Prices By Passing Build Back Better. “Of the 16 provisions listed in the survey, five of the top six priorities for voters were health measures…Biden’s comments on lowering prescription drug costs will resonate with the entire electorate: 7 in 10 voters back the provision, including 4 in 5 Democrats and 3 in 5 Republicans.” [Morning Consult/Politico, 12/8/21]

Navigator Poll Confirms Health Care Remains Most Important Reason to Pass Build Back Better. “Top reasons cited as good reasons to pass the plan are lowering health insurance costs, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices, [and] expanding Medicare…” [Navigator Research, 11/11/21]

• Lowering Prescription Drug Prices Remains High Priority For Passing BBB. 77 percent believe allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs is a good reason to pass the bill, including 94 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents, and 57 percent of Republicans. [Navigator Research, 11/11/21]
• Three In Five Americans Believe Passing BBB Is Urgent. “Intensity of urgency is high – especially among Democrats (91% say it is “urgent”), Black Americans (82%), and Hispanic Americans (74%).” [Navigator Research, 11/11/21]

***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11 AT 5:45 PM ET // 2:45 PM PT***

Las Vegas, NV — Today, February 11, 2022, at 5:45 PM ET // 2:45 PM PT, Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV-03), State Senator Fabian Doñate, and local advocates will join Protect Our Care Nevada for a virtual press conference. During the call, speakers will discuss the record number of Americans who have signed up for coverage during the ACA open enrollment period, making the benefits such as ACA subsidies in the American Rescue Plan permanent, and the urgent need to lower prescription drug prices. Among 14.5 million people, more than 100,000 Nevadans have signed up for coverage through the ACA marketplaces. 

Provisions in the 2021 American Rescue Plan made coverage more affordable than ever before, with enhanced premium tax credits allowing four out of five eligible enrollees to find a plan for $10 or less per month. President Biden and the Democrats have worked hard to lower Nevadans’ healthcare and prescription drug costs. As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a more urgent time to ensure families can get the health care they need.

PRESS CALL:

WHO:
Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV-03)
State Senator Fabian Doñate
Local Advocates

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference 

WHEN: Friday, February 11, 2022, at 5:45 PM ET // 2:45 PM PT

WHERE: Register for the Event Here