{"id":175067,"date":"2024-04-04T10:32:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T17:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=175067"},"modified":"2024-04-04T10:32:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T17:32:29","slug":"president-biden-on-lowering-healthcare-costs-for-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=175067","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on Lowering Healthcare Costs for Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Kris, thank you, thank you, thank you. First of all, thank you for the courage you\u2019ve shown over the years dealing with your health issues but also for standing up here before the whole nation and explaining to us what you\u2019ve gone through. It\u2019s not easy to do.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-175068\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM.jpg 624w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM-123x70.jpg 123w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM-570x322.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"President Biden Delivers Remarks on Lowering Health Care Costs for Americans\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8KgCnaIKwiw\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You know, trying to afford your expensive medications, from blood disorders to asthma \u2014 millions of Americans \u2014 millions \u2014 have similar stories: lying in bed at night literally staring at the ceiling wondering what in God\u2019s name will happen if their spouse gets cancer of if their child gets sick or something happens to them. Are they going to have enough insurance? Can they afford the medical bills they\u2019re going to have? Will they have to sell the house to keep things moving?<\/p>\n<p>You know, and you find out a big reason why we\u2019re lying awake at night with these questions is because the drug companies are charging exorbitant \u2014 exorbitant prescription drug prices \u2014 higher prices than anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n<p>When Bernie said it \u2014 I was listening in the back, Bernie. You and I have been fighting this for 25 years. Finally \u2014 finally we beat Big Pharma. Finally. (Applause.) I\u2019m serious.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m proud \u2014 (laughs) \u2014 I\u2019m proud that my administration is taking on Big Pharma in the most significant ways ever.<\/p>\n<p>And I wouldn\u2019t have done it without Bernie. And Bernie got a \u2014 you know, look, Bernie was the one who was leading the way for decades in which we\u2019re \u2014 why we\u2019re here today.<\/p>\n<p>You know, Bernie mentioned that Americans pay more for prescription drugs than other advanced nation in the world.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to \u2014 if you walk into a local drugstore here in America, the prices are at least two to three times more for the exact same prescription made by the exact same pharmaceutical company in Canada, France, Italy, and even in Eastern Europe \u2014 all around the world. But not anymore.<\/p>\n<p>For years, people have talked about how Medicare has the power to negotiate for lower drug price \u2014 prescription drug prices the government pays for, just like the VA does when they\u2019re able to negotiate medicines and \u2014 and needs for the veterans.<\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019ve tried and tried and tried. And finally, with Bernie\u2019s help, I finally got my Inflation Reduction Act, which passed \u2014 and Bernie helped get it passed. Not one Republican in the entire Congress \u2014 this \u2014 this did surprise me; I have to admit to you \u2014 not one single Republican voted for it \u2014 not one single one \u2014 to give us authority to take on and beat Big Pharma.<\/p>\n<p>Take insulin for people with diabetes \u2014 it costs 10 bucks to make. If you add everything in terms of packaging and all the rest, you can argue maybe $12 total. And they\u2019re charging as much as $400 a month. Not anymore. Not anymore. Seniors with diabetes will only have to pay $35 a month from this point on. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, when I first got the law passed, guess what? It applied to every American \u2014 every American. But the Republicans were able to cut back on the fact that only \u2014 they only were not able \u2014 the only thing they couldn\u2019t defeat was seniors.<\/p>\n<p>But I want to \u2014 I want those savings to be for every \u2014 every single person in America, no matter what their age. No one should pay more than 35 bucks a month for insulin, period.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, drug companies still make a significant pro- \u2014 product \u2014 I\u2019m \u2014 excuse me, significant profit because I said: Ten bucks to make. By the way, the guy who invented the drug didn\u2019t want to patent it because he wanted it available to everybody. Well, it\u2019s available all right.<\/p>\n<p>Look, folks, there\u2019s a whole lot of prescription drugs that are ongoing \u2014 undergoing the process of lower pricing.<\/p>\n<p>Medicare is now able to negotiate lower drices \u2014 lower prices for some of the costliest drugs that treat everything from heart disease to arthritis.<\/p>\n<p>This year alone, the law that\u2019s already passed \u2014 it\u2019s in the law now that we signed \u2014 Medicare is negotiating<\/p>\n<p>10 of the most costly drugs next year, and they\u2019ll do that every year beyond for the \u2014 it goes well beyond 50 drugs.<\/p>\n<p>Next year, it\u2019ll be 15. It isn\u2019t just saving seniors money. Along with other reforms, it\u2019s taxpayer money and we\u2019re cutting the federal deficit. And people say, \u201cWell, it\u2019s costing money.\u201d Guess what? It\u2019s costing the drug companies money.<\/p>\n<p>It cuts the deficit by $160 billion \u2014 $160 billion. (Applause.) No, I\u2019m serious. Think about it. Over the next 10 years \u2014 because Medicare will no longer have to be \u2014 pay those exorbitant prices. Instead of paying 400 bucks, they\u2019re paying 35 bucks.<\/p>\n<p>But I think we should be more aggressive. It\u2019s time to negotiate lower prices for at least 50 drugs a year. We only have it \u2014 the law only requires 10 now, and then 15, and it moves up.<\/p>\n<p>Along with other actions, we\u2019re not only saving lives, but if we move that number up, we\u2019ll save taxpayers another $200 billion on top of the $160 billion, because Medicare will not be paying these exorbitant costs.<\/p>\n<p>It is a gigantic \u2014 and, by the way, the other guy talks about cutting the deficit. He increased the deficit more than any president has in history. And we\u2019ve cut it.<\/p>\n<p>Look, in addition to the law we passed that will cap prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare starting in 2025 \u2014 it\u2019s already the law \u2014 doesn\u2019t require anything else \u2014 because when I say these things, they say, \u201cYou think you can get it done?\u201d It\u2019s already the law.<\/p>\n<p>Every- \u2014 your drugs will not cost you \u2014 if you\u2019re a senior on Medicare \u2014 will not have to pay more than $2,000 a year, no matter what the drugs costs. And as you know \u2014 many of you unfortunately know or your parents \u2014 some of the cancer drugs cost $10-, $12-, $15,000 a year. Combined \u2014 combined, they will not have to pay a penny beyond $2,000 a year. (Applause.) And the drug companies will still make a lot of money.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, Bernie and I want to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for every American, not just seniors. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re here today to talk about how we\u2019re lowering prices and cracking down on un- \u2014 unfair competition in prescription drugs.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a capitalist. Capitalism, though, without competition isn\u2019t capitalism; it\u2019s exploitation. That\u2019s what\u2019s going on: exploitation.<\/p>\n<p>When Big Pharma doesn\u2019t play by the rules, competitors can\u2019t offer lower prices for generic drugs and devices that carry that medication, so prices are raised artificially. I thank Bernie for leading the charge to do something about this.<\/p>\n<p>For example, asthma is one of the most common respiratory illnesses in America. Twenty-seven million Americans have asthma, including four million children. Asthma causes about one thou- \u2014 one million visits to a hospital emergency rooms every year.<\/p>\n<p>Nationwide, the cost of treating asthma is estimated to be $50 billion a year \u2014 the treating the asthma \u2014 not the drug, treating the asthma.<\/p>\n<p>If you have asthma, you will likely need an inhaler to breathe. Now this spring is here, the season and allergies are on \u2014 upon us. We\u2019re on the rise even more. More people with asthma need inhalers to breathe.<\/p>\n<p>You know, many asthma medications \u2014 many have \u2014 be on the market for more than 25 years. They cost less than $5 to make. They cost less than $5 to make, but the medication \u2014 the medication hasn\u2019t changed at all.<\/p>\n<p>Theoretically, if the drug company came with a new medicine that would \u2014 they invested in a lot of money to find a better way, they di- \u2014 they wouldn\u2019t have to \u2014 they could argue that \u2014 another price. But drug companies have increased prices for asthma drugs up to eight times more than the original cost. And the mechanism is- \u2014 and the m- \u2014 the mechanisms attached to the inhaler, the thing that makes it, you know, go into your \u2014 into your nose or mouth, that is a device that Med- \u2014 Medicare hasn\u2019t changed much either.<\/p>\n<p>Look, these big companies try to keep generic companies away from getting patents on devices that deliver the medication through the inhalers.<\/p>\n<p>So, there\u2019s two pieces. It\u2019s not just the \u2014 what\u2019s in the inhaler. It\u2019s the mechanism that allows it to go into your body.<\/p>\n<p>For example, they slightly changed the cap of an inhaler and they use the new patent on that cap to block generic drug companies from being able to enter the market. It\u2019s a big deal. Playing these games with patients and pricing, Big Pharma is able to charge Americans significantly higher prices and pad their profits.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Sanders has pointed out one company sells an inhaler for 49 bucks in the United Kingdom. You know how much they charge in the United States for that one inhaler? Six hundred and forty-five dollars. So, I take \u2014 $645.<\/p>\n<p>If you need that inhaler and you get on Air Force One with me, the next time we go to London, you can get off and you can get it for \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 no, I\u2019m serious. Think about that, though. Just think about that. For the same exact medicine and the same exact device. It\u2019s outrageous.<\/p>\n<p>Another company sells an inhaler for $9 in Germany \u2014 $9 in Germany \u2014 and we pay $286 here in the United States. Nine bucks in Germany \u2014 same outfit, same company, same device \u2014 and it\u2019s 30 times more. Thirty times more. I repeat: It\u2019s outrageous. And we\u2019re doing something about it, finally.<\/p>\n<p>Why in God\u2019s name should an American pay $645 for the same inhaler sold in the United Kingdom for $49 by the same outfit \u2014 the same outfit?<\/p>\n<p>Bernie called out the drug companies during the congressional hearings. And you just heard from Lina Khan, the Federal \u2014 the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, who is working with the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on these drug companies, and it\u2019s a big deal.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of all this action, some drug companies have withdrawn their abusive patent listings for inhalers and other common products like EpiPens.<\/p>\n<p>You know, the last few weeks, some of the big drug companies have gotten the message to reduce the prices for some asthma drugs. Bernie is a big reason why that\u2019s happened. In fact, three of the four largest companies are capping the cost of inhalers for many patients \u2014 that can be up to $600 out of pocket \u2014 at $35. There\u2019s some progress going on beyond what we\u2019ve done \u2014 the law. But it\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n<p>And \u2014 and going forward with more competition and more generic drugs in the market, the price could be even less than it is now and coming down.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not all. Because of all of you, my Inflation Reduction Act \u2014 drug companies that raise prices more than inflation are going to pay back Medicare the difference between what they charged and the inflation rate. This is based on the price of their drugs in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>That means consumers will pay less for prescription drugs, and they\u2019ll save taxpayers money and discourage companies from hiking prices faster than inflation in the first place. But we want to do more.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time the drug companies pay rebates when they increase prices faster than inflation \u2014 not just for seniors but for every single American \u2014 every single American. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And today\u2019s announcement follows actions we\u2019ve already taken to significantly reduce the healthcare costs for average Americans. We took action to reduce the cost of hearing aids for millions of Americans by as much as $3,000 for a pair of hearing aids.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, my administration is banning junk fees on health insurance plans. These are the plans that stick consumers with big unexpected charges instead of covering the care they need.<\/p>\n<p>Look, they ended up with fair surpri- \u2014 I ended up- \u2014 surprise medical bills so hospitals that are in-network can\u2019t send you a bill for an out-of-network doctor that you didn\u2019t choose or you would \u2014 haven\u2019t even been consulted. I was in the hospital for a while years ago and that happened.<\/p>\n<p>Kamala and I are protecting and expanding the Affordable Healthcare Act, known as Obamacare, which, I might add, is still a big deal. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Today \u2014 thank God my mother wasn\u2019t here \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 today, 21 million Americans are covered through the Affordable Care Act, 9 million more than when I took office.<\/p>\n<p>I exact tax credits \u2014 we enacted tax credits to save an average of $800 per person per year, reducing healthcare premiums for millions of working families whose coverage \u2014 who have coverage under the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n<p>Those tax credits, though, expire. You can only get it for \u2014 through this year. And I\u2019m calling on Congress to make tax credits permanent \u2014 permanent for this process. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And, folks, all of our progress is in stark contrast to my predecessor and MAGA Republicans in \u2014 in the Congress. They want to, quote \u2014 I love their word they love \u2014 they want to \u201cterminate\u201d the Affordable Care Act \u2014 I love it, \u201cterminate\u201d \u2013my \u2014 as my predecessor says, kicking millions of Americans off their health insurance.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, the vast majority of these people would not be able to get insurance because they have a preexisting condition.<\/p>\n<p>They also want to eliminate the Inflation Reduction Act, eliminate the savings to lower prescription drug prices, and so much more.<\/p>\n<p>During the last administration, my president ex- \u2014 my predecessor exploded the national debt more than any previous president in the history in a four-year term \u2014 more than any prev- \u2014 he talks about the debt. He exploded it more than any other president in a four-year term with his $2 trillion tax cut that overwhelmingly \u2014 overwhelmingly benefitted the very wealthy and the biggest corporations in America.<\/p>\n<p>Now he and his Republicans in Congress want to cut Social Security \u2014 raise the age \u2014 and cut Medicare while they cut taxes for the very wealthy again.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I got a better idea. I\u2019m going to protect Social Security and Medicare, along with Bernie and other members of Congress, to make sure the wealthy begin to pay their fair share to keep these programs solvent. (Applause.) It\u2019s not hard.<\/p>\n<p>And let me repeat what I said that even some people, like Bernie, didn\u2019t like at the beginning \u2014 and I don\u2019t blame them \u2014 but I said on day one, to make a point: No one in America will pay a single penny more in federal taxes if they make under \u2014 less than \u2014 if they make less than $400,000 a year.<\/p>\n<p>I wish I was able to do that. I was listed \u2014 and Bernie will \u2014 used to kid me about it \u2014 I was listed as the poorest man in Congress for 36 years. I didn\u2019t think I was poor. I got a good salary. But I was the poorest man in Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Trump brags about he is the reason Roe v. Wade was overturned. And here\u2019s his quote: \u201cI did something no one thought possible. I got rid of Roe v. Wade.\u201d End of quote.<\/p>\n<p>And now he and his MAGA officials are calling on a nat- \u2014 for a national ban on the right to choose in every state.<\/p>\n<p>I promise you: With a Democratic Congress, Kamala and I will make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again. I promise you. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m talking too long here. Let me close with this. (Laughter.) I\u2019m excited about this. I\u2019m really proud of what we\u2019ve been able to do. I really am.<\/p>\n<p>Bernie and I have been doing this work for a long time. I know we don\u2019t look it, but we\u2019ve been doing it a long time. (Laughter.) Bernie and I have something else in common: We both married way above our stations.<\/p>\n<p>But any rate, but we know we\u2019ve made historic progress in the last three years: 35 bucks for insulin for seniors, $35 for inhalers for asthma, $2,000 a year total cap on costs for seniors.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re lowering the cost of some of the most expensive prescription drugs for seniors.<\/p>\n<p>And what I want to do next \u2014 what we want to do next is these caps on costs for everyone \u2014 everyone, not just seniors.<\/p>\n<p>With Bernie\u2019s help, we\u2019re showing how healthcare ought to be a right and not a privilege in America. And that\u2019s why I\u2019ve never been more optimistic about \u2014 I really mean it. You\u2019ve heard me say in this very room how optimistic I am. I am optimistic because the laws we got passed are now coming into effect, whether it\u2019s the infrastructure or whether it\u2019s this. I mean, there\u2019s so much more.<\/p>\n<p>I just have \u2014 we have to \u2014 and I said this many times and I\u2019ll get out of your hair. You know, we have to remember who we are. We\u2019re the United States of America.<\/p>\n<p>I mean \u2014 I mean these things from the bottom of my heart. We\u2019re the United \u2014 there is nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. We\u2019re the only nation \u2014 as a student of history \u2014 that I can find that\u2019s come out of every crisis we\u2019ve entered stronger than we went in. Every single time. So, let\u2019s remember who the hell \u2014 we\u2019re the United States of America.<\/p>\n<p>God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>12:17 P.M. EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Kris, thank you, thank you, thank you. First of all, thank you for the courage you\u2019ve shown over the years dealing with your health issues but also for standing up here before the whole nation and explaining to us what you\u2019ve gone through. It\u2019s not easy to do. You know, trying to afford your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":175068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Fullscreen-capture-442024-102737-AM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175067"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175069,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175067\/revisions\/175069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/175068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}