Article Summary –
Steve Lubin, a retired nurse who witnessed patients struggling to afford medications, now benefits from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which caps out-of-pocket costs for insulin and prescription drugs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Despite high drug costs, the Act, supported by Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, introduces a $2,000 annual cap for prescriptions starting in 2025 and a $35 monthly cap for insulin, expected to alleviate financial burdens and reduce hospitalizations due to medication rationing. The Act faces opposition from Republicans and former President Trump, who aim to repeal it, which Lubin argues would harm average Americans.
In three decades as a nurse, Steve Lubin witnessed patients struggle to afford prescription drugs and insulin. After retiring, he and his wife personally faced costly co-payments.
Thanks to President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the Pennsylvania resident says essential medications are now more affordable for his family and former patients.
After his diabetes diagnosis, Lubin used insulin, which was expensive even with Medicare Part D. “I don’t remember the exact number, but it was closer to $100,” he said of his monthly co-payment. “By the end of the year, I was spending about $900 just for insulin.”
His wife, who also has diabetes, uses Trulicity, which is pricier than insulin. “I’m putting out close to $4,000 a year just on that drug,” Lubin noted.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey voted to pass, introduces a $2,000-a-year cap on out-of-pocket drug costs starting in 2025 for Medicare Part D users and a $35-a-month cap for insulin.
“That will make things a lot better,” Lubin said. “Now with the $35 cap, you know, paying out a lot less.”
As an ICU nurse, Lubin saw many patients’ health decline due to the unaffordability of insulin and prescription drugs: “I had patients skipping their blood pressure pills or other medications, taking one a day when they’re supposed to take two or three, because that’s all they could afford. The same with insulin, people either not paying for it or rationing it. They spent more time with high sugar levels, leading to complications like cardiac issues, infections, amputations, kidney issues, vision issues, and nerve damage.”
The cap, he says, will save money long-term: “It’s very expensive to be hospitalized, especially in the ICU. Uninsured people who cannot afford medications or doctor fees end up in ICUs at public expense. It costs the government, which means our taxes go for that instead of other societal needs.”
On July 11, Casey and Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock introduced a bill to implement a similar $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs for private insurance patients.
Every Republican in Congress and former President Donald Trump opposed the Inflation Reduction Act. Trump and Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick have vowed to roll back the law if they win in November.
“If you end up taking something like that away,” Lubin said, “that’s only going to hurt most Americans who aren’t rich.”
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