Kuster, McKinley introduce legislation to help save seniors billions in drug costs
WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster (D- N.H.) and David B. McKinley, P.E., (R-W.Va.) reintroduced the Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act, aimed at ensuring Medicare beneficiaries receive the full benefit of affordable generic drugs.
In 2018 alone, generics and biosimilars saved Medicare beneficiaries over $90 billion. However, these savings are at risk due to an increasing number of generic and biosimilar medicines being included in the same pricing tier as the more expensive “brand name” drugs.
The Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act seeks to reverse the negative impact of these recent changes, which are unnecessarily increasing what Medicare patients pay out-of-pocket for generic drugs.
“No one should have to choose between buying their prescriptions or putting food on the table, especially during a public health crisis,” said Rep. Kuster. “But, here in New Hampshire and across the country, seniors are struggling to afford their prescription drugs. That’s why I’m proud to help reintroduce the bipartisan Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act, to guarantee that older Americans can access their prescriptions at a fair price. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me to support this commonsense measure.”
“Seniors on fixed incomes are hit the hardest by skyrocketing drug prices,” McKinley said. “Our bill would ensure seniors can benefit from lower-cost generic medicine and limit the amount they have to pay out of pocket. This is a common-sense bill that will help seniors access the medicine they need at a reasonable price.”
“The Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act restores the original intent of the Medicare Part D program to increase patient access to low-cost medicines and reduce seniors’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs,” said Dan Leonard, President and CEO, Association for Accessible Medicines.
Joining Reps. Kuster and McKinley as cosponsors are Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Karen Bass (D-CA), and Paul D. Tonko (D-NY).