Rep. Mike Levin Highlights Congressional Efforts to Lower Health Care Costs for Millions of Americans
Press Conference Video can be found here
Rep. Levin Hosts Press Conference at VCC’s Durian Senior Adult Care Clinic
Vista, CA – Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) visited VCC’s Durian Senior Adult Care clinic to highlight Congressional efforts to lower health care costs for millions of Californians and Americans across the country made possible by legislative victories led by Democrats.
During the 117th Congress (2021-2022), Rep. Levin helped pass the landmark Inflation Reduction Act to lower health care costs and out-of-pocket expenses. The law capped insulin at $35 per month for Medicare Part B and D enrollees. Roughly 108,164 Californians on Medicare are now paying no more than $35 per month for insulin, with an average $339 annual savings on insulin per enrollee and a total $36.6 million annual savings on insulin for all Californians. Over 1.5 million seniors across the country are saving an average of $500 on insulin per year.
The law also placed a $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug spending cap for Medicare Part D enrollees. Starting in 2025, over 2.1 million Californians will save an annual average of $295 each due to the cap and over $644 million total in annual out-of-pocket savings. Nearly 19 million seniors across the country are projected to save $400 annually on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.
In addition to these important provisions, Rep. Levin introduced new legislation, the Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act, to cap health insurance premiums for households enrolled in Medicare and Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage plans and close an ACA loophole that is driving up premium costs.
“Since entering Congress, lowering health care costs has been one of my top priorities. I’m proud to have voted in favor of landmark laws to cap monthly insulin costs and lower out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses for millions of Americans. But we can always do more to improve our health care system and save money for hardworking families,” said Rep. Levin. “I recently introduced the Health Insurance Premium Fairness Act to close a costly loophole in the ACA that penalizes families when one household member becomes eligible for Medicare. We must ensure that access to affordable, quality health care is available to more Americans and I will continue to work with my colleagues to make this possible.”
“My wife and I were both enrolled in an Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance plan via Covered California, but when I went on Medicare in the Fall of 2021, a loophole in the ACA’s premium cost calculator caused our overall insurance costs, including all Medicare costs, to rise from approximately $300 per month to over $600 per month,” said Encinitas resident Ted DeBont. “I knew we couldn’t be the only folks facing this dilemma. I’m grateful to Rep. Levin and his team for meeting with me to hear about our situation and for introducing a bill that would save us—and many folks like us—thousands of dollars per year.”
“Through the elimination of cost-sharing for vaccines and the reduction of out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare Part D enrollees, the Inflation Reduction Act is playing a crucial part in bolstering community clinics, like VCC, in our shared mission to provide quality healthcare to every community member. We extend our appreciation to Rep. Mike Levin for championing fairness and affordability in healthcare for all,” said VCC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sarah Fatland.
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