Bidenomics Means Lower Prescription Drug Costs, MAGA Control Means Higher Costs
CORE MESSAGE: Democrats are growing the economy by growing the middle class. By investing in American working families, lowering costs, and creating a record number of good-paying jobs — President Biden is ensuring the middle class have the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.
- Biden and Democrats fought hard to secure these health savings for Americans through the Inflation Reduction Act, while every single Republican voted against the plan.
Talking Points:
- Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced the first batch of prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. This is expected to significantly reduce the cost of these drugs that provide vital treatment for life-threatening conditions including diabetes, heart failure, and cancer.
- For far too long, Americans have paid more for prescription drugs than in other major economies. President Biden and Democrats took on Big Pharma to change that.
- MAGA Republicans, including 2024 presidential candidates, have consistently opposed actions to lower health care costs, including railing against and calling to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and Affordable Care Act, which millions of Americans rely on.
- The contrast couldn’t be more clear: while President Biden and Vice President Harris work to lower costs for families, MAGA Republicans are in the pocket of Big Pharma, putting their profits over working families.
10 drugs selected for Medicare Price Negotiation
- This morning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare Price Negotiation – a critical provision under the Inflation Reduction Act that will finally allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs for seniors and other beneficiaries.
- For decades, Big Pharma has blocked this from happening. While pharmaceutical companies made record profits and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying year after year, millions of Americans were forced to choose between paying for medications they need to live, or paying for other basic necessities.
- Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, those days are ending. Up to 9 million Americans will be able to benefit from the new negotiated drug prices.
- In 2022 alone, around 9 million seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries spent over $3.4 billion out-of-pocket on the 10 drugs selected for negotiation.
- These drugs are used to treat some of the most common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, blood clots, and cancers – and in 2022 cost seniors up to $6,497 in out-of-pocket costs per year for just one of these drugs
- Today’s announcement is a major step forward in the Administration’s efforts to lower costs for American families and make health care more affordable. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their Administration won’t stop until they finish the job.
- And as the Biden Administration takes these newest historic actions to lower drug costs for Americans and strengthen Medicare, congressional Republicans continue to side with Big Pharma’s price gouging and cuts to Medicare benefits instead. Not only do congressional Republicans want to take the new benefits being announced today away from Americans with repeal legislation – they are even siding with Big Pharma’s lawsuits to stop them in their tracks.
- 9 million: Number of seniors who took the 10 drugs selected for Medicare Price Negotiation in 2022.
- $3.4 billion: Amount Medicare beneficiaries spent in out of pocket costs in 2022 on the 10 drugs.
- $6,497: The out-of-pocket cost seniors had to pay per year for just one of the drugs selected for negotiation
- 33 years: Amount of time leaders spent trying to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
- $160 billion: How much taxpayers will save because of the Inflation Reduction Act’s health care provisions
- 4 million: Number of seniors already benefitting from the Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 per month cap on the cost of insulin.
- 15 million: Americans saving $800 per year on health insurance premiums because of the Inflation Reduction Act.
- $400: The amount seniors are projected to save on prescription drugs annually when the $2,000 out of pocket cap goes into effect.
- 8: Number of lawsuits Big Pharma has already filed to block the Biden Administration from being able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
- Nearly $400 million: The amount Big Pharma spent in lobbying efforts to try to stop the Administration from being able to negotiate lower drug prices and lower health care costs for American families.
- Over 8 in 10: Adults support allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
MAGA Republicans Put the Gun Lobby Over Public Safety
Over the past few days, the country has borne witness to more grim acts of gun violence – including in Jacksonville, Florida, where three innocent people were killed in a racially motivated shooting, and on UNC’s campus.
On Sunday, in response to the shooting in Jacksonville, President Biden denounced white supremacy and senseless acts of violence – and recommitted to taking on all forms of violent extremism.
Additionally, the Biden-Harris administration has taken more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other at this point in their presidency. The administration:
- Signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the most significant bipartisan gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years,
- Confirmation of an ATF director for the first time in seven years,
- Worked to combat deadly, untraceable ghost guns,
- Helped work to close the background check loophole,
- Finalized the arm-stabilizing brace rule,
- Led a comprehensive strategy to address gun violence and fight gun trafficking,
- Made historic investments in community violence intervention programs, and more.
Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans have consistently put the gun lobby ahead of the safety of our communities, schools, and children.
- Donald Trump said there was “no bigger fan” of the NRA than him and cravenly caved to the NRA in the wake of the Parkland shooting in 2018 – he also unashamedly spoke at the NRA convention last year just days after the tragic school shooting in Uvalde,
- In a closed-door ceremony surrounded by NRA representatives in April, Ron DeSantis signed dangerous legislation that could make it easier for criminals to carry weapons. DeSantis was also caught on tape pledging that he would “absolutely” support open-carry legislation in Florida and said he would sign a bill allowing concealed carry of permitted firearms nationwide,
- Mike Pence has a long career of supporting dangerous policies pushed by the gun lobby, including helping solidify the NRA’s influence in the Trump-Pence administration,
- Nikki Haley has received an “A+” rating from the NRA. After the devastating school shooting in Nashville in March, Haley’s immediate response was refusing to support gun safety legislation. Haley also opposed expanding background checks in the wake of the tragic shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church when she was governor of South Carolina,
- Tim Scott had received more NRA money than any other sitting South Carolina politician in the last decade as of 2022. Scott also voted last summer against the most significant bipartisan action on gun reform in nearly three decades and has regularly dismissed calls for common sense gun reforms.
Key Takeaways From First GOP Debate
The only winner of the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate was Joe Biden.
For two hours, MAGA Republican presidential candidates fought to stake out the most extreme and deeply unpopular positions possible.
And while these hopefuls battled it out in their unhinged race for the MAGA base on stage, on X.com, Trump hung out with Tucker Carlson and spread the same lies Americans rejected in 2020.
The MAGA candidates spent two hours shouting at each other about:
- Cutting Social Security and Medicare and passing tax breaks for the rich,
- Who has the best plan to ban abortion nationwide,
- Whether to side with Putin or Ukraine and democracy.
And while these candidates espoused the most extreme, out-of-touch positions possible, what voters at home didn’t hear was:
- Anyone outline a vision to bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas,
- A plan to lower prescription drug costs for the middle class,
- Any candidate mention gun violence when a record number of kids and teens died from guns in 2021,
- Any plan to address critical issues like climate change or our student debt crisis.
In fact, these candidates spent more time shouting over each other, trying to out-MAGA each other and spreading lies because they know they can’t spin President Biden and Vice President Harris’s record of accomplishment.
The first RNC debate was two hours of the MAGA Republican presidential candidates focused on the wrong priorities and outlining a deeply unpopular, extreme agenda.
It’s a vision for the country that the American people aren’t interested in and will reject in November 2024.
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