Most of the public seems to be unaware of the Democrats’ petition to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
Putting a clause in the Inflation Reduction Act that would allow such negotiations was the culmination of at least two decades of effort by Democrats and was touted as a major victory over Big Pharma.
Health care was a triumphant issue for the party in the last midterm elections, and passage of the law was intended to give lawmakers a major political victory in their campaign.
“In this historic moment, Democrats supported the American people and every Republican in Congress supported special interests,” President Biden told lawmakers when he signed the bill into law in August.
Speaking to donors during Thursday’s Democratic fundraiser, Biden reiterated his desire to overcome the drug lobby and said the biggest part of the law was “underwriting pharmaceuticals.”
“You know, we’re paying the highest drug prices in the world for the exact same drug. The exact same prescription,” Biden said. “Well, what do you think? Medicare seniors changed the price of cancer drugs so that they don’t have to pay more than $2,000 a year for drugs, whatever they are. “
But a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll shows that most adults are unaware of the law’s key health provisions.
Only 36% of Americans say they are aware that the Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Twenty-nine percent said they knew the law capped insulin prices for Medicare subscribers, and only 29% said they knew about a cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.
T.Hose provisions are popular. A majority of voters in the same poll said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who supports policies such as Medicare’s drug bargaining and caps on out-of-pocket drug spending for Medicare subscribers.
KFF President and CEO Drew Altman said, “If Democratic candidates want to capitalize on their popularity, they have to talk about it.
David Mitchell, president and founder of the advocacy group Patients for Affordable Medicines, wasn’t surprised that relatively few people knew about the drug-pricing portion of the new law. I wasn’t worried.
“People are paying more and more attention to the issue as Election Day approaches, so the awareness numbers will go up in the coming weeks,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said the law was passed about six weeks ago, and public awareness will take time.
“I want more numbers. Don’t get me wrong, you move very fast. It takes time and effort to educate people and make people aware of policy issues like this.” said Mitchell.
External allies are trying to help spread the message.
Protect Our Care, a pro-democracy group, is conducting a nationwide bus tour this fall to educate Americans about the law and promote the work of the legislators who helped pass it.
Leslie Duck, founder and chairman of Protect Our Care, said she wanted to avoid the mistakes she made with the Affordable Care Act, saying Democrats weren’t doing enough to counter Republican attacks and the opposition was telling the story. allowed to take over the
“One of the mistakes we have made is that we talked about the name of the law and not about things, but the name of the law. [the law did], the name of the law doesn’t matter,” Duck said. “People will say I hate Obamacare, but my kids love the fact that she can have my insurance until she’s 26.”
Biden was scheduled to highlight the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act for older Americans at events in California and Oregon over the weekend. His message aims to reinforce the idea that Democrats are tackling issues that matter to the average family.
In a fact sheet, the White House said, “Americans are under pressure from the cost of living. That’s been true for years and is the main reason the president ran for office,” the White House said in a fact sheet. “
Biden will also highlight how every Republican in Congress voted against the bill and that they now want to repeal it, according to the White House.
But voters won’t see the law’s biggest drug benefit until years later. Her $2,000 cap on annual drug costs for people enrolled in Medicare prescription drug benefits won’t start until 2025.
The bill’s most famous health provision, which allows Medicare to negotiate the cost of some drugs, won’t start until 2026. It plans to expand to 20 drugs by 2029.
“With less than a month to go before the election, you’re going to be talking about what you’re giving me in two, three, four years. And I’m hurt right now,” said a consultant in the healthcare industry. Yes, said Joel White, a former staff member of the Republican House of Representatives.
