Michigan Retiree: Price Cap Could’ve Saved My Savings

Article Summary –

In 2015, DeAnn Roesner retired but had to return to work due to high prescription costs for her late husband’s numerous health issues, which could have been alleviated by the Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 cap on insulin and $2000 annual prescription cap starting in 2025. Roesner criticizes former President Trump and Republican lawmakers for attempting to roll back the Act, arguing that they lack understanding of the struggles faced by those on Medicare or limited incomes. She also supports legislative efforts to extend the insulin cap to private insurance, highlighting the financial burden faced by younger working individuals, especially those in low-income professions such as teaching.

In 2015, longtime Verizon employee DeAnn Roesner and her late husband decided to retire and move to Michigan. But after his prescription drug copayments depleted their savings, she had to return to work full time.

Roesner now strongly supports the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which capped Medicare Part D recipients’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month and, starting in 2025, $2000 a year for prescription drugs.

Her husband received some aid through Medicare Part D, but they still struggled with his health care costs.

“He had numerous health issues—insulin-dependent diabetes, heart attack and bypass surgery, and liver cancer. His monthly medications, mainly insulin, cost us $1,000 or more some months,” Roesner told the Michigan Independent. “Had the $35 cap been in place, it would have made a huge difference. I would still have retirement savings from Verizon.”

Instead, she had to come out of retirement and became a full-time teacher. “At 67, should I need to start a second career just to pay for my husband’s medication?” Roesner asked. “I wouldn’t change that decision, but how many other seniors are in a similar situation?”

Roesner criticized former President Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers who support rolling back the Inflation Reduction Act: “It makes me very angry. They don’t experience the struggle of purchasing prescriptions like insulin on Medicare or a limited income. If they did, they’d think very differently.”

She also supports a proposal by House Democrats to extend the $35 insulin cap to private insurance. Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is co-sponsoring a similar Senate bill.

“It was tough enough for my husband as a senior on Medicare to struggle with this. But when younger people, like teachers, have to pay thousands a month for insulin, it’s a huge burden. How are they supposed to afford housing, heat, and food?” Roesner asked.