Op-ed highlights Congressman Bryan Steil’s opposition to improving Medicare benefits and lowering prescription drug prices
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
JANESVILLE, Wis. – In case you missed it, Janesville small business owner Ann Roe recently authored an op-ed highlighting the importance of protecting Medicare and Medicaid benefits as the programs turned 58 at the end of July.
The op-ed highlights Congressman Bryan Steil’s opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, which capped insulin costs for Medicare recipients and gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Rep. Steil is also a member of the Republican Study Committee, which recently released a budget proposal that would roll back the Inflation Reduction Act’s improvements to Medicare.
Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh: “Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites depend on Medicare and Medicaid to access affordable, high-quality health care. We expect our members of Congress to find solutions to strengthen these programs and protect benefits for seniors and working families, not stand in the way of efforts that are already making life-saving prescriptions more affordable.”
Ann Roe: 58 years later, we must still fight to protect Medicare and Medicaid
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Being born a year after President Johnson signed these programs into law in 1965, I’m fortunate to have never known a world where Medicare and Medicaid don’t exist. But despite their success and the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who depend on them for care, I’ve witnessed countless elected officials threaten these benefits or stand in the way of efforts to strengthen them.
Recently, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare beneficiaries are seeing even more relief when it comes to prescription drug prices. The law capped insulin costs at $35, gave Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices, and established a program that forces drug companies to pay a rebate when they raise prices by more than the rate of inflation. Already thousands of Wisconsinites are benefiting from these improvements to Medicare.
But if Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Bryan Steil, had their way, many of these benefits could be on the chopping block. Steil opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, voting to keep drug prices high, and even voted against additional legislation that would’ve capped the cost of insulin. He also is part of the extreme Republican Study Committee, which recently announced a budget proposal that would roll back the protections in the Inflation Reduction Act and once again prohibit Medicare from negotiating for lower prescription drug prices.
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More than ever, we should be demanding that our elected officials work together to strengthen these programs, improve benefits, and ensure every Wisconsinite has affordable and high-quality health care. It’s time for Rep. Steil to fight to preserve and protect Medicare and Medicaid to make sure they’re here for another 58 years.
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