In the News

Without your health, little else matters, and if you can’t afford to fix it, the pain and financial weight can be unbearable. But Democrats are winning the battle for quality affordable health care.

When I first ran for public office, I went door-to-door and told voters my number one priority was to make health care a right, not a privilege. That’s why my proudest moment in public service was the vote I cast for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which enabled tens of millions of Americans to get their health security.

And two years ago this Friday, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which vastly expanded on that victory by lowering prescription drug costs, expanding ACA access, and making coverage more affordable.

Thanks to the new law, over 200,000 people in my district alone will buy ACA marketplace policies this year, a 104% increase from 2020. Four million Floridians will use the ACA, with average enrollees saving hundreds in premiums.

But in another critical way, this legislation is game-changing. After generations of failed efforts, the Inflation Reduction Act finally empowered Medicare to negotiate lower costs for some of the priciest prescription medications, including those that treat diabetes, heart failure and autoimmune disorders. Out-of-pocket Medicare savings to seniors will reach $1.6 billion in 2026, and taxpayers will save $6 billion, administration officials announced Thursday.

That’s not all. The law also caps monthly Medicare insulin costs for seniors at $35, provides free recommended vaccines, like for shingles, and ensures drug companies face penalties if prices climb faster than inflation. Also, starting next year, seniors will see their annual out-of-pocket drug costs capped at $2,000, bringing more financial relief to millions.

For too long, Floridians faced impossible choices, between paying for medicine or groceries. Now, because of this administration’s leadership, our families can breathe a little easier when it comes to health care costs.

This progress didn’t come without a fight. Republicans relentlessly attempted to repeal the ACA, and they will not stop trying to take it all away.

President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democrats in Congress like me took on Big Pharma and we won. Now, we must fiercely defend these gains and continue our progress.

These achievements face real threats, as clearly laid out in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint, the playbook for a dangerous second Trump presidency.

Project 2025 would dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act and take Floridians and millions of Americans back to when health care costs were skyrocketing and millions were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

Republicans like Sen. Rick Scott voted against the Inflation Reduction Act and tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and he’s coming after Medicare as well.

If that Trump-Scott agenda wins this fall, here’s what it means to you: higher prescription drug prices, soaring premiums and a return to the days when health care was a privilege for only the few.

If Project 2025 becomes reality, 45 million Americans could lose their coverage. Nearly 20 million would see premiums rise. Seniors on Medicare would see an exponential rise in prescription drug costs, while Big Pharma and insurance companies make unseemly profits — and all so Republicans can give billionaires more tax breaks.

But there’s another way. Vice President Harris and my fellow Democrats will build on our progress and ensure everyone can access the care they need.

As your representative, I will not stand by as Republicans try to rip away the health care my fellow Floridians and millions of Americans rely on, and I’m asking you to join me in that fight.

Let’s make sure that come November, we stand united, protect our health care, and continue moving forward. We are not going back.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/08/15/democrats-are-lowering-health-care-costs-under-law-gop-wants-to-repeal-debbie-wasserman-schultz/