***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 28 AT 11:00 AM ET***
Speakers to Discuss Drug Companies’ Ongoing Efforts to Protect Their Profits, the Popularity of Negotiation, and Legal Threats to the Law
Washington, DC — On Monday, August 28, 2023, at 11:00 AM ET, legal expert William Schultz, Director of Brookings Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy Dr. Richard Frank, and Hart Research’s Geoff Garin will join a press call with Protect Our Care to discuss the current state of play as the Biden administration is posed to announce the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. During the event, speakers will discuss what this important step means for the American people, ongoing threats to the program, and how Medicare negotiation remains central to the Inflation Reduction Act’s popularity.
This week, CMS is expected to announce the first round of drugs eligible for lower prices under the Medicare Drug Negotiation Program, which will lower prices for millions of seniors. As the Biden administration is working to implement this core provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, big drug companies are going to court to protect their profits. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Chambers of Commerce, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astellas Pharma, and Johnson & Johnson-owned Janssen Pharmaceuticals have all filed lawsuits against the federal government challenging the constitutionality of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Program.
PRESS CALL
WHO: William Schultz, Partner, Zuckerman Spaeder, former General Counsel, Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Richard Frank, Director, Brookings Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy Geoff Garin, President of Hart Research Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care
***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, JULY 7 @ 11:00 AM CT // 12:00 PM ET***
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Wisconsinites Are Saving on Health Care Costs
Milwaukee, WI– On Friday, July 7th at 11:00 AM CT, 12:00 PM ET, U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) will join Protect Our Care Wisconsin to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s next steps in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The administration released the final guidance outlining the process for negotiation, and by September 1, the ten drugs that are selected for the first round of price negotiations will be announced.
A new report from Protect Our Care highlights the five drugs that are most likely to be up for negotiation. The report also details Pharma’s efforts to derail the implementation of this critical part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Prescription drug affordability measures are particularly important for seniors of color and people with disabilities, who experience health disparities in part because they are more likely to have limited access to affordable drugs.
This event comes as Republicans and big drug companies are attacking the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress and the courts. Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as the industry’s trade association PhRMA, are laser-focused on undermining the Inflation Reduction Act by filing lawsuits to protect their profits and stop the administration from negotiating lower drug prices. Big Pharma’s GOP allies in Congress have already introduced legislation to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s prescription drug provisions, which would increase drug costs for millions of seniors.
PRESS EVENT:
WHO: U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) Wisconsin Senior Storytellers Protect Our Care Wisconsin
Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care announced the release of a new report on five drugs that may be selected for the initial round of negotiations through the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program during a press call headlined by U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge, Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance for Retired Americans, and Andrea Harris, Director of Policy Programs of Protect Our Care also joined the call to discuss the importance of giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices.
Big drug companies are now turning to the courts to try to dismantle the Negotiation Program because they didn’t get their way after spending a record $372 million lobbying Congress in 2022. Drug company giants Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as mega lobbying groups, PhRMA, and the US Chamber of Commerce, have sued the federal government in an effort to stop Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug prices and giving seniors the breathing room they need. Republican lawmakers have also introduced legislation to repeal the prescription drug provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act in order to line the pockets of drug company executives and raise costs on patients.
“The pricing power of Pharma has been abused, absolutely, from beginning to end,” said U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). “This question about prescription drugs is really about affordability: things that people need every day, they can’t afford. The price negotiation legislation that President Biden signed is finally going to give a tool to Medicare to do what every other government agency does – stand up for fair prices for prescription drugs. Folks need to be able to afford prescription medications. And we’re not going to let Pharma sue their way out of this achievement that has been long overdue.”
“Prescription drug spending has tripled since 2000 to nearly $400 billion today, and is poised to expand further 50 percent within the next 10 years,” said Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Initiative for Medicines. “This increase is fueled mostly by branded drugs which make up just eight percent of prescriptions but account for 84 percent of all drug spending in the United States. We cannot continue to pay these prices, and that’s why the Inflation Reduction Act and the provisions that will curb some of these excesses that the drug companies have been able to develop through patenting games is so important.”
“Our members know when a law truly changes people’s lives,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “And President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act does that in a number of ways. Because the law penalizes corporations that increase the price of a drug faster than inflation, Americans who take 43 prescription drugs will save between $1 and $499 per average dose. That’s real results.”
“For far too long, big drug companies have exploited their market power, making drugs unaffordable for seniors and costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars,” said Andrea Harris, Director of Policy Programs of Protect Our Care. “Protect Our Care’s new report shines a light on why the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is so desperately needed to fix this broken system.”
“While the Biden administration is working tirelessly to implement Medicare negotiation and deliver savings to seniors, pharmaceutical companies and their Republican allies are doing everything in their power to protect their outrageous profits,” said Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care. “Republicans are trying to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, and major pharmaceutical companies are in court trying to take away Medicare’s power to negotiate lower prices. Fortunately, we have a president who will ensure everyone can afford the medicines they need.”
***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 29 AT 12:30 PM ET***
Protect Our Care to Release New Report Outlining Key Facts on Prescription Drugs Likely to See Lower Prices Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program
Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, June 29, 2023, at 12:30 PM ET, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s next steps in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The administration has stated publicly that they will release final guidance outlining the process for negotiation and selection by early July. During the call, Protect Our Care will release a new report that provides a detailed look at five drugs that will likely qualify for the first round of negotiation, underscoring the importance of finally allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
Seniors are already saving money as a result of the law’s insulin copay cap and no-cost recommended vaccinations. Prescription drug affordability measures are particularly important for seniors of color and people with disabilities, who experience health disparities in part because they are more likely to have limited access to affordable drugs. Seniors who are more likely to live in rural areas and LGBTQI+ seniors who experience greater levels of poverty and worse health outcomes will also benefit from this law.
This call comes as Republicans and big drug companies are attacking the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress and the courts. Pharmaceutical giants Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as the industry’s trade association PhRMA, are laser-focused on undermining the Inflation Reduction Act by filing lawsuits to protect their profits and stop the administration from negotiating lower drug prices. Big Pharma’s GOP allies in Congress have already introduced legislation to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s prescription drug provisions, which would increase drug costs for millions of seniors.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) Robert Roach, Jr., President, Alliance for Retired Americans Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK) Andrea Harris, Director of Policy Programs, Protect Our Care Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care
***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 23 AT 12:30 PM EST***
House Republicans Pass Legislation to Promote Junk Plans and Undermine the ACA protections
Washington, D.C. — On Friday, June 23, at 12:30 PM, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, will join Protect Our Care Virginia to discuss House Republicans’ voteto weaken protections for Virginians with pre-existing conditions and undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The call is a response to a legislative package House Republicans passed on Wednesday evening that includes several measures to promote junk health insurance plans that undermine patient protections under the ACA and weaken access to affordable health coverage. The Association Health Plans Act, Self Insurance Protection Act, and CHOICE Arrangement Act all promote insurance plans that undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions and fail to require coverage of essential services like hospital visits and prescription drugs. Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), similar to health savings accounts, only reward the highest-income, and healthiest workers while worsening racial and ethnic inequities in health care.
These bills are just the latest in the Republican war on affordable, quality health care and gut protections for pre-existing conditions and are more about giving tax breaks to the wealthy. If signed into law, this legislation would only force more families to gamble with their health care, putting them at serious risk of medical debt if they get sick. Ranking Member Scott will highlight how President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working to lower costs and expand access to health care, despite ongoing Republican attacks.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Protect Our Care, and healthcare storytellers
House Republicans Continue To Double Down on Their Efforts to Rip Away Lifesaving Care
New York, NY — Today, at 11:30 AM EST, U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (NY-18) will join Protect Our Care New York and executive director of The Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration Kevin Keaveny to discuss House Republicans’ “Default on America Act,” legislation, and its impact on health care for millions of veterans across the country.
Today, Protect Our Careunveiled a new report detailing exactly how veteran’s health care would be impacted if the Republican Default on America Act were to become law. The report found that under the GOP bill, millions of veterans, including the 225,400 who receive their health care services in New York, would face:
An over-22 percent slash to health care funding
30 million fewer outpatient visits
81,000 jobs lost across the Veterans Health Administration
A backlog of 134,000 claims
$565 million in cuts earmarked for major construction projects, including critical upgrades to clinics and hospitals
Speakers will discuss the report, and how the Republican plan would gut resources for the Veterans Administration and disproportionately harm veterans of color, disabled veterans, low-income veterans, and veterans facing homelessness in New York and across the United States.
Speakers will also discuss proposed cuts to Medicaid andother vital services, including mental health and substance use treatment, maternal care, cancer research and more.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (NY-18) Kevin Keaveny, Hudson Valley National Center for Reintegration Nate Jackson, Protect Our Care New York
Braidwood Decision Would End Free Lifesaving Preventive Health Care for 150 Million Americans
Washington, DC — On May 11, 2023, at 1:30 PM ET, Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, Susan Polan, Associate Executive Director for Public Affairs and Advocacy of the American Public Health Association, and Andrew Pincus, experienced Supreme Court and appellate lawyer, will join Protect Our Care for a virtual press conference to discuss the new amicus briefs ahead of the upcoming stay decision from the Fifth Circuit in Braidwood Management v. Becerra. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s March 30 decision would end ACA’s guaranteed free access to essential preventive services. In 2020 alone, more than 150 million Americans benefited from these preventive services.
Judge O’Connor invalidated all of the benefits covered under the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, including lifesaving lung, breast, and colorectal cancer screenings, anxiety and depression screenings for children and adults, heart disease screenings, intimate partner violence screenings, and access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which can reduce the chance of contracting HIV. The ruling applies nationwide.During the call, speakers will rebut plaintiffs’ arguments opposing a stay and make clear that if O’Connor’s decision stands, it will be a tragedy for millions of Americans’ access to lifesaving health care services.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO, American Lung Association Susan Polan, Associate Executive Director for Public Affairs and Advocacy, American Public Health Association Andrew Pincus, Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and experienced Supreme Court and appellate lawyer Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care
***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, MAY 4 AT 9:30 AM ET***
Washington, DC – On Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 9:30 AM ET, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), and Theo Braddy, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living, will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss how the end of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement would affect people with disabilities. The speakers will talk about the responsibility governors have to use their authority and resources to ensure those with disabilities counting on Medicaid do not lose coverage due to burdensome paperwork and red tape.
Congress passed legislation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect access to Medicaid by ensuring no one could be disenrolled during the public health emergency. This provision expired on April 1, and an estimated 15 million people could lose coverage. Medicaid covers 45 percent of nonelderly adults with disabilities – that’s 10 million people, including people with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and brain injuries. Additionally, Medicaid is an important source of coverage for people with mental health and substance use disorders.
The Biden-Harris administration provided guidance to states to assess eligibility in a way that will minimize coverage losses, particularly for children, pregnant women, seniors, people of color, people with disabilities, rural Americans, and others who rely on the Medicaid program for their health care. In addition to the challenges from Medicaid unwinding, House Republicans passed their Default on American Act, threatening to throw millions off of their coverage and to create more administrative burdens for states as they work on redeterminations of Medicaid eligibility.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) Theo Braddy, Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living Leslie Dach, Founder and Chair, Protect Our Care
***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 27 AT 3 PM ET***
GOP Budget Plan Threatens to Rip Health Care Away from Families in Vermont and Illinois
Washington, DC – On Thursday, April 27, 2023, at 3:00 PM ET, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Campaigns and Advocacy at Caring Across Generations, will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss the Republicans’ ongoing threats and radical plan to cut Medicaid and take health care away from millions. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently announced the Republican plan to hold the U.S. economy hostage in order to impose cuts in key programs, including slashing health care and other vital discretionary funding and taking Medicaid away from millions by imposing burdensome paperwork requirements. This plan would disproportionately harm rural Americans, people with disabilities, people with mental health and substance use disorders, children, pregnant women, seniors in nursing homes, and people of color. Read more about how Republicans are demanding health care cuts here.
A record 92 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, which provides affordable care to people from all backgrounds. President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working tirelessly to protect Medicaid from GOP attacks and strengthen the program to ensure everyone has the health care they need. April marks the 5th annual Medicaid Awareness Month.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Campaigns and Advocacy, Caring Across Generations An impacted Vermonter Anne Shoup, Communications Director, Protect Our Care
***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 20 AT 3 PM ET***
Washington, DC – On Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 3:00 PM ET, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn, and Joan Alker with the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss Republicans’ radical plan to take health care away from millions. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the Republican plan to hold the U.S. economy hostage to draconian cuts in key programs, including slashing health care and other vital discretionary funding and taking Medicaid away from millions by imposing burdensome paperwork requirements. This plan would disproportionately harm people with disabilities, people with mental health and substance use disorders, children, pregnant women, seniors in nursing homes, rural Americans, and people of color. Read more about how Republicans are demanding health care cuts here.
A record 92 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, which provides affordable care to people from all backgrounds. President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working tirelessly to protect Medicaid from GOP attacks and strengthen the program to ensure everyone has the health care they need. April marks the 5th annual Medicaid Awareness Month.
PRESS CALL:
WHO: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) Representative James E. Clyburn (D-SC-06) Joan Alker, Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families, Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy Leslie Dach, Chair, Protect Our Care
