Duluth, GA – This morning, Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-07) joined Protect Our Care, local officials, and health care advocates for the Metro Atlanta leg of the “Lower Costs, Better Care” Bus Tour. Protect Our Care’s “Care Force One” arrived in Duluth to spotlight how recent legislative victories by President Biden and Democrats in Congress are “driving down” health costs for the American people. The Inflation Reduction Act and other measures are already saving people thousands of dollars a year — with even more savings on the way. August marks the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act and the savings it continues to deliver to Georgians. Rep. Lucy McBath, State Senator Sheikh Rahman and healthcare advocates explained how the $35 per prescription per month insulin cap for Medicare beneficiaries affects Georgia’s seniors living with diabetes, and the need to extend the cap for all Americans.
“Life-saving medicine should never be kept out of reach of those who need it most,” said U.S. Representative Lucy McBath (GA-07). “Thanks to last year’s historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, we are driving down health care costs for families in this community, around Georgia, and across the country. I am proud to join my colleagues and lead legislation that grants affordable access to critical prescription drugs and paves the way for our communities to live full and healthy lives.”
“Democrats in Congress, like Congresswoman McBath, are working tirelessly to rein in Big Pharma’s greed and stop seniors from getting ripped off. The Inflation Reduction Act is a monumental step forward to rein in drug company greed, and in particular, the insulin cap will save lives,” said State Senator Sheikh Rahman (SD-5). “Now, we must build on this progress and extend the insulin cap to everyone who needs it. Republicans’ stance on this issue has already put lives in jeopardy, but we will not quit until everyone can afford the drugs they need to stay alive.”
“Six years ago I walked into the doctor’s office with a nagging cough and walked out with a stage four cancer diagnosis,” said Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate. “Luckily, I had good insurance that paid for the chemotherapy and radiation that I needed. The Inflation Reduction Act lowers health care costs for millions of people like me so they can afford the treatment they need to survive. President Biden and Democrats in Congress, like Congresswoman McBath, continue to deliver on their promise to lower health care costs as hardworking people begin to see even more savings.”
“For years, the inflated cost of insulin has been an urgent public health concern,” said Mutima Jackson-Anderson, Founder and President of Ruby A. Neeson Diabetes Awareness Foundation. “I greatly value President Biden, Senator Warnock and Congresswoman McBath for rendering a viable solution to healthcare cost and prioritizing insulin affordability for seniors on Medicare, a vulnerable population. Because of existing social disparities throughout the state, the $35 a month price cap is a win for Georgia, where diabetes is a common chronic disease in aging adults.”
“I’m 41. I’ve been Type 1 diabetic for 26 years. Nobody should have to make life decisions based on how much insulin costs. Insulin is easy to make, it is cheap and it does not need to be advertised. Sir Fredrick Banting, who patented insulin 100 years ago, famously said, 'Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.' He wanted everyone who needed it to have access to it,” said Errol Anderson, a Type 1 diabetic and Gwinnett resident.
“Protect Our Care is working to make sure everyone understands how President Biden and Democrats in Congress are driving down health care costs,” said Liz Ernst, State Director for Protect Our Care Georgia. “The Inflation Reduction Act touches nearly every household in America, whether you’re a senior struggling to afford prescription drugs, a family purchasing your own healthcare coverage, or a taxpayer who is sick and tired of lining the pockets of Big Pharma. This progress is historic, but instead of celebrating, Republicans are continuing to wage a war on health care by protecting the profits of big drug companies over savings for Americans.”
Watch a replay of the event here.