{"id":149308,"date":"2022-10-16T10:48:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-16T17:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=149308"},"modified":"2022-10-16T10:48:33","modified_gmt":"2022-10-16T17:48:33","slug":"president-biden-on-lowering-costs-for-american-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=149308","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on Lowering Costs for American Families"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Irvine, CA&#8230;Well, thank you. Well, I\u2019m \u2014 great to be here in Orange County, at Irvine Valley College. And, Susan, thank you for that introduction. Please sit down \u2014 please \u2014 thank you \u2014 if you have a seat. (Laughter.)  AUDIENCE MEMBER: Love you, Joe!  THE PRESIDENT: And I \u2014 well, thank you so much.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nFw0wZHc2aw\" title=\"President Biden Delivers Remarks on Lowering Costs for American Families\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Look, unfortunately, the story Susan told is not unique. And it\u2019s \u2014 you know many, many families that are going through this.<\/p>\n<p>But before I begin \u2014 before my discussion today, I know \u2014 I look over there, and I see \u201cFree Iran.\u201d (Applause.) And I want you to know we stand with the citizens and brave women of Iran, for real \u2014 for real \u2014 (applause) \u2014 who, right now, are demonstrating to secure their very basic, fundamental rights.<\/p>\n<p>Women and men should have the right \u2014 the right to freedom of expression and assembly. And women \u2014 women all over the world are being persecuted in various ways. But they should be able to wear, in God\u2019s name, what they want to wear. No one should be telling them what to wear. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And Iran has to end the violence against its own citizens simply exercising their fundamental rights. And, you know, Masha [Mahsa] Amini\u2019s death was \u2014 I\u2019ve been doing foreign policy a long, long time. It stunned me what it awakened in Iran. And it\u2019s awakened something that I don\u2019t think will be quieted in a long, long time.<\/p>\n<p>And so, I want to thank you all for speaking out. I want to thank the Persian community here for being so vocal. And continue. It matters.<\/p>\n<p>AUDIENCE MEMBER: Protect my freedom! (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: That\u2019s one thing you don\u2019t have to tell me. (Laughter.) You met my wife? (Laughs.) I married up.<\/p>\n<p>I was one of those guys that \u2014 my whole life, I\u2019ve been surrounded by women who\u2019ve taken care of me, maybe they\u2019re smarter than I am. My younger sister used to be three years younger than me. Now she\u2019s 23 years younger. (Laughter.) There\u2019s not a single, solitary Biden man that is as ol- \u2014 younger than any Biden woman.<\/p>\n<p>And \u2014 and my wife, by the way \u2014 we\u2019re at a community college \u2014 my wife is teaching today. My wife is a fulltime college professor at a community college. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, look, I\u2019m here today because I wanted to share the progress we\u2019re making to bring down the cost \u2014 healthcare costs for everybody. And thanks to the Democrats in Congress, like Lou and also Katie \u2014 and Katie is \u2014 you know, Katie has just been a star. You can tell she\u2019s not passionate about much. (Laughter.) And you can tell she\u2019s a retiring soul.<\/p>\n<p>But all kidding aside, you know \u2014 a policy wiz who knows how to talk to folks, a fighter who\u2019s taken \u2014 taken on the powerful special interests.<\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019ve \u2014 we\u2019ve seen it all. No drug company executive wants to testify in Congress before Katie. Nobody wants to do that because \u2014 to answer her questions \u2014 because they\u2019re to the point and they\u2019re revealing.<\/p>\n<p>Katie\u2019s big \u2014 is a big reason why I\u2019ve been able to make such progress dealing with healthcare. And that\u2019s what I want to talk to you a little bit about today.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I know it\u2019s been a tough four or five for the country. We\u2019ve made a lot of progress, but, folks, we still \u2014 a lot of folks are still struggling \u2014 folks that came from the families I came from, where they sit around the kitchen table at the end of the month and wonder, \u201cHow in God\u2019s name are we going to pay for everything? Do we have enough?\u201d<br \/>\nWell, you know, I think about it the way my dad did. He used to talk about it in a way that so many of you at home still talk about it around that kitchen table or that dinner table. \u201cHow much are the monthly bills? And how are we going to have to pay for all the necessities that extend beyond that? Is there \u2014 is there enough left over?\u201d My dad used to use the phrase \u201cfor just a little bit of breathing room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My dad was a well-read, high-school-educated guy whose great regret was he never got to go to school. But he used to talk about: Everyone \u2014 everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity. And when you don\u2019t have the capacity to meet the basic needs of your children and your family, you\u2019re deprived of your dignity. You\u2019re deprived of your dignity.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s especially the case when it comes to healthcare and prescription drug costs. That\u2019s why Katie\u2019s leadership and the work of the Democrats in Congress is so consequential. And, Katie, I\u2019m not just being nice because I\u2019m in your district; it happens to be true. (Laughter and applause.) No, no, I mean it.<\/p>\n<p>You are a fighter, you\u2019re decent, you\u2019re honorable, and everybody respects you. Everybody respects you. And it\u2019s a big deal, because you get a lot done. You get a lot done.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I wrote and then signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act. They used to call it \u2014 the press has to \u2014 poor people \u2014 have to follow me all over the country. And they\u2019ve heard me say it before. It used to be called \u201cBuild Back Better.\u201d And \u2014 but we got almost all of it.<\/p>\n<p>That Inflation Reduction Act did a lot of things. It had, like, just a short amount of money \u2014 $368 billion \u2014 for the climate, which is \u2014 it did a whole range of things.<\/p>\n<p>But what it did was it took on special interests in a way that we haven\u2019t in a long time. I know I don\u2019t look it, but I\u2019ve been around for a while. (Laughter.) And it\u2019s one of the most significant laws in our history when it comes to helping families pay their bills at the end of the month.<\/p>\n<p>Look, take the prescription drug cost. We pay more for prescription drugs than any [advanced] nation in the world for the same \u2014 not just generically \u2014 the same exact drug. The cost of that drug by the same company sold in France and the United States is sometimes 25 percent cheaper \u2014 or Canada or any other place I can name for you.<\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s no reason for it, because Big Pharma has been just a dominant force. Katie laid out the numbers that they expended.<\/p>\n<p>For years, many of us have been trying to fix that problem. Why is that, for example, they can \u2014 the VA can negotiate drug prices for \u2014 with Pharma? They say, \u201cWe\u2019re not going to pay you more than A, B, C, or D, or X amount for the\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only exemption written into the law was that Medicare \u2014 Medicare could not negotiate the price of a drug with the drug companies, where they make billions of dollars through Medicare.<\/p>\n<p>For years, Big Pharma stood in the way. For years, there\u2019s been no check on how high or fast Pharma could raise drug prices.<\/p>\n<p>When I ran for this office, I ran on this platform. It\u2019s just not right.<\/p>\n<p>This year, drug companies alone raised the price of more than 1,200 drugs \u2014 this year, this calendar year \u2014 raised the price on 1,200 drugs above the rate of inflation. Not a single additional bit of information was injected into that drug. Not any more experimentation. Nothing new. Same exact drug. Same drug. And it gets increased \u2014 1,200 of them \u2014 1,200. The average price increase for those drugs was over 30 percent \u2014 30 percent.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, the price for one blood pressure drug that millions of Medicare beneficiaries rely on increased by over 500 percent. Who, in God\u2019s name, do they think they are? They thought they were impervious. They had so much power.<\/p>\n<p>You think I\u2019m joking. I\u2019ve been \u2014 we\u2019ve been trying \u2014 a guy like me who have been around the Senate a long time been trying to take them on forever. And they\u2019re powerful, and people were afraid to take them on.<\/p>\n<p>Another drug used to treat autoimmune conditions increased just this year by $1,000 \u2014 by $1,000. This is outrageous.<\/p>\n<p>But this year, the American people won. We took on Big Pharma and we beat them finally. (Applause.) We beat them finally.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if Big Pharma tries to raise drug prices faster than inflation, they\u2019re going to have to write a check to Medicare for \u2014 to cover the difference. Now, instead of that money going into the pockets of drug companies, it\u2019s going to go into the pockets in the form of lower drug prices in America. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s more money at the end of the month to pay for groceries, to get your car repaired, to buy your grandson a birthday present \u2014 whatever it is. The Inflation Reduction Act gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. And seniors \u2014 seniors will see their out-of-pocket costs for drugs capped at $2,000 a year. If you\u2019re on Medicare, you cannot be charged more than $2,000 a year no matter what drugs you get. (Applause.) I\u2019m serious. It\u2019s a gigantic change \u2014 a gigantic change.<\/p>\n<p>My mother had the fortune of having successful \u2014 my two successful brothers and a sister. I was kind of the guy out, but anyway. (Laughter.) But my mom lived with me after my dad died. And she used to sneak up to the drugstore to get her prescriptions because she didn\u2019t want us to know she didn\u2019t have enough money to pay for it. She wouldn\u2019t tell us.<\/p>\n<p>Not \u2014 I\u2019m not joking. I\u2019m not joking. She didn\u2019t want anybody to know she did not have the money to pay for it.<\/p>\n<p>So finally, I went up and I made sure that whatever she had in her wallet, that\u2019s what the drugstore charged her, because I gave them whatever they need. They had a card.<\/p>\n<p>My generic point is: Think of all the mothers and fathers out there \u2014 like your mom was \u2014 all of them. Their pride is in stake at well. These are the same people who taught us to \u201cstand up, don\u2019t complain, never explain\u201d in my house.<\/p>\n<p>Well, folks, whether it\u2019s expensive drugs, another drug they need to survive, we\u2019re talking about drugs that cost $9-, $10-, and $14,000 a year, particularly cancer drugs.<\/p>\n<p>The Inflation Reduction Act caps that cost \u2014 it caps the cost of insulin.<\/p>\n<p>How many of you know of someone and maybe \u2014 many of you that need that insulin for diabetes? Well, go ahead \u2014 you know how much it costs for them to make that insulin and package it? Ten \u2014 T-E-N \u2014 dollars. Ten dollars total. They\u2019re charging \u2014 they\u2019re charging up to $400 to $1,000, depending on where you live, for that drug.<\/p>\n<p>I was in Virginia about four or five months ago, and \u2014 doing a town hall. And a woman stood up, and she started to cry. She said, \u201cMy two kids have diabetes, and we have to cut the pills in half. We have to share the insulin.\u201d I should \u2014 excuse me. \u201cWe have to share it.\u201d Said \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Imagine being a parent not having enough insurance, not being able to afford it, and looking at your son or daughter and knowing if they don\u2019t get that insulin, they could literally permanently be scarred and\/or die. What the hell does that do to people? What does it do?<\/p>\n<p>Folks, the Inflation Reduction Act caps the cost of insulin at 35 bucks a month \u2014 (applause) \u2014 instead of $400 a month.<\/p>\n<p>Now, what Katie didn\u2019t tell you, she got, in the House, passed \u2014 it applied to everyone, not just to Medicare patients.<\/p>\n<p>Well, the Senate, they kicked out \u2014 they kicked out coverage for non-Medicare patients. So, there\u2019s 200,000 kids out there that you have to pay a hell of a lot for their diabetes insulin.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, look, as I said, it costs $10 to make. The drug companies charge more than 30 times that. And as I said, imagine being that parent and not having the money. What do you do? What do you do? Just imagine.<\/p>\n<p>Well, you\u2019re going to keep fighting for lower drug costs, saving insulin for children and families as well. Because if we keep the House and Senate this time, we are going to make sure it applies to everybody in the country. Guaranteed. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Because of the Inflation Reduction Act, seniors on Part D Medicare will also be able to get their recommended vaccines, like shingles vaccines, for free, no copay.<\/p>\n<p>And tomorrow will mark the beginning of Medicaid\u2019s Open Enrollment period. So, when seniors pick plans for next year, they\u2019ll be able to take advantage of the progress we\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not all. For years, the fee you pay for Medicare to cover your visits to your doctor\u2019s office have gone up. Now, for the first time in more than a decade, the fees are going to go down. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And yesterday, we announced that Social Security benefits are going to be going up an average of $140 a month starting next month. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, folks, look, seniors are going to get ahead of inflation next year. For the first time in 10 years, their Social Security checks are going to go up while Medicare premiums go down. And this is a big deal for seniors. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And this morning, I issued an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services, within 90 days, to put a plan on my desk finding an additional way to lower prescription drug costs for seniors, because there\u2019s other ways we can do this in addition.<\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019re not just focused on seniors. Earlier this week, the Treasury Department took action to fix the problem that was making it harder for families to afford healthcare coverage for their spouse or a child \u2014 a so-called \u201cfamily glitch rule.\u201d It\u2019s a glitch all right.<\/p>\n<p>Under the old rules, a working mom was told as long as she could afford employer-based coverage for herself, she couldn\u2019t qualify for premium subsidies to afford coverage for her family. Well, now, 1 million people will gain coverage and [or] pay lower premiums.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, a family of four with a health coverage through the Affordable Care Act saved $2,400 from the American Rescue Plan that I signed into law. Now, Inflation Production [Reduction] Act is going to lock that in place for lower healthcare premiums for millions of families. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Folks \u2014 and, by the way, the drug companies are going to continue to do very well in terms of profit. We\u2019re not costing them anything other than they should get cost.<\/p>\n<p>But, folks, let me tell you something: Every single Denocra- \u2014 Democrat \u2014 as, in fact, Katie spoke about \u2014 every single one voted for the Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n<p>Not a single, solitary Republican in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate voted for it. Every single one voted against it. Every single one.<\/p>\n<p>Not only that, now congressional tel- \u2014 Republicans are telling us their number-one priority is to repeal \u2014 if they win back the House and the Senate \u2014 repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. That includes things that I\u2019m not even talking about today, including the environment.<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s be crystal clear of what that means. If Republicans in Congress have their way, it\u2019s going to mean the power we just gave Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and other costs over time goes away. Gone.<\/p>\n<p>The $2,000 cap on prescription drugs goes away. Gone.<\/p>\n<p>The $35-a-month cap on insulin for Medicare is gone.<\/p>\n<p>Savings from healthcare premiums got just for \u2014 we just got for millions of Americans. Gone.<\/p>\n<p>And, of course, it\u2019s not the Inflation Reduction Act they want to get rid of. They\u2019re still determined to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. You \u2014 what people don\u2019t realize \u2014 they didn\u2019t realize the Affordable Care Act is the only basis upon which people with a pre-existing condition can get healthcare, unless you can afford an expensive policy. If Republicans have their way, that\u2019s gone as well.<\/p>\n<p>And here \u2014 here\u2019s the bottom line, so please hear this: When it actually comes time to do something about inflation around the kitchen table, Republicans in Congress are saying, \u201cNo.\u201d If Republicans take control, the prices are going to go up, as will inflation. It\u2019s this simple.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, they go even further. Already, a vast majority of the House Republicans have signed on to a Republican budget that\u2019s going to cut \u2014 and hear me now \u2014 cut Medicare and Social Security. Cut it.<\/p>\n<p>Rick Scott, the senator from Florida, he\u2019s the head of the program to elect Republican senators. He\u2019s proposed a plan to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every five years. If you don\u2019t vote for it again, it goes away. That means every five years, Congress will vote to cut, reduce, or completely eliminate Social Security and Medicare.<\/p>\n<p>And then there\u2019s Ron Johnson, the senator from Wisconsin. He thinks every four years \u2014 this is the God\u2019s truth \u2014 I don\u2019t \u2014 do we have the pamphlets out here? That \u2014 they\u2019re \u2014 there are pamphlets. Take \u2014 take a look at it. Their words, not mine.<\/p>\n<p>He thinks every five years is too long to wait, so he wants Social Security and Medicare to be on the chopping block every single, solitary year. If Congress doesn\u2019t vote to keep it, it goes away. It goes away. Not just Social Security and Medicare, he wants to put veterans\u2019 benefits and everything else in the federal budget at risk.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, let me close with this. Over the last few years, we\u2019ve faced some of the most difficult challenges in our history, but we\u2019re making real progress. We got a long way to go, but we\u2019re making real progress helping folks get a little more breathing room.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the opposition from some of the most powerful special interests in the nation, we\u2019re lowering healthcare costs and strengthening Medicare. And we\u2019re fighting for folks who need our help.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s one of the reasons why I\u2019m so optimistic about America\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p>We just have to remember who in God\u2019s name we are. This is the United States of America. (Applause.) No, not a joke.<\/p>\n<p>Look, there\u2019s not ever been a damn thing we can\u2019t do when we\u2019ve set our mind to it. Name me something we\u2019ve ever tried to \u2014 you\u2019re smiling, but name me one. Name me one thing we\u2019ve ever tried to accomplish that when we did it together, we haven\u2019t been able to do it. There\u2019s nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. And that\u2019s the God\u2019s truth. Think about it.<\/p>\n<p>And the American public, over the last five years, has begun to lose hope that it\u2019s within our power to do almost anything, but we really can. But we\u2019ve got to stick together.<\/p>\n<p>And I don\u2019t care whether you\u2019re a Democrat or Republican or an independent. The idea that people can charge 30, 40, 50, 60 times what it costs to make a drug \u2014 it just makes no sense when there\u2019s no alternative. It\u2019s not like you raise the price on a Chevy 10 times, and you can\u2019t go buy a Ford. I\u2019m not joking. Where there\u2019s no options.<\/p>\n<p>So, folks, I want to thank Katie for her incredible work. And I mean it. She is incredible at what she does. (Applause.) I mean it, Katie.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to say to all of you, God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>3:27 P.M. PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Irvine, CA&#8230;Well, thank you. Well, I\u2019m \u2014 great to be here in Orange County, at Irvine Valley College. And, Susan, thank you for that introduction. Please sit down \u2014 please \u2014 thank you \u2014 if you have a seat. (Laughter.) AUDIENCE MEMBER: Love you, Joe! THE PRESIDENT: And I \u2014 well, thank you so much. 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