Harder Demands San Joaquin Patients be Included in Medicare Negotiations to Lower Drug Costs
Half of the population of San Joaquin County is diabetic or pre-diabetic, and 4 of the 10 drugs selected for price negotiation treat diabetes
Millions of Americans report skipping medications because of high costs; 1 in 6 with diabetes report rationing insulin
As part of Medicare’s drug price negotiation process, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold patient-focused listening sessions for each of the 10 selected drugs
WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder (CA-9) wrote to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting a patient-focused listening session in San Joaquin County as Medicare moves forward with its drug price negotiations. Late last month, CMS announced the first 10 drugs that Medicare will be able to negotiate the price of. Giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices is a historic step made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which Harder worked to pass.
“No one should have to make the impossible choice between food or their prescriptions,” said Rep. Harder. “Unfortunately, we know this all too well in San Joaquin County. Half of our neighbors are diabetic or pre-diabetic and struggling to pay for their prescriptions. Today I’m demanding that CMS come to the Valley and hear directly from our families. We have to get drug prices down, now.”
Read the letter HERE or below:
Dear Secretary Becerra,
I write today to invite you to hold a patient-focused listening session in my district. I applaud the work the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is doing to make drug prices affordable for every American, and invite you to hear feedback directly from San Joaquin Valley residents.
Americans are struggling to pay for their prescription medications. A recent survey showed one in five individuals are delaying their refills because it is too expensive to afford. While pharmaceutical companies reach record profits each year, American families are unable to afford basic medications. I was proud to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act last year partly because it would allow the federal government to fight on behalf of Americans to lower the price of prescription drugs.
CMS’ recent announcement included the first list of drugs for negotiation and an opportunity for patients and caregivers to provide feedback. I applaud you for your effort to include patients and their families as a part of this process. As you begin planning each of these listening sessions, I want to extend an invitation to hold one of these sessions in my district. Access to affordable diabetes medications is vital to my constituents. Nearly half of my district is considered to be pre-diabetic, and they stand to greatly benefit from the work you are doing. My constituents will be able to give you a clear understanding of how important it is that we make life-saving medications more affordable.
Thank you for considering this request and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Josh Harder
Member of Congress
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