***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
WHAT: Virtual Press Conference
WHERE: Register for the Event Here.
WHEN: Thursday, June 29 at 12:30 PM ET