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Montanans are starting to get much-needed relief from health care and prescription costs, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
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LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND HEALTH CARE COSTS
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January 2024
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Passed with Montana Senator Jon Tester’s leadership just over a year ago, the legislation caps out-of-pocket prescription expenses, limits monthly insulin costs to $35 for Medicare recipients, and allows Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies to reduce prescription medication costs. In this issue of In Union, we dive deeper into the new legislation to examine how it makes health care more affordable for Montana’s working families and seniors.
“The nice thing about this bill is that it doesn’t raise taxes on any Montanan and will ultimately put more money back in your pocket. We did this by making folks pay their fair share, particularly corporations…” —Senator Jon Tester Great Falls Tribune, 8/31/2022
REAL PEOPLE. REAL STORIES ABOUT HEALTH CARE AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS.
Ginny B. lives with LEMS syndrome and relies on a drug that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. She used to worry about how she would afford this life-saving medication. But thanks to the IRA’s provision capping out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, soon Ginny and others like her won’t pay a dime over $2,000 per year for their prescriptions.
The Inflation Reduction Act has eliminated vaccine copays for Medicare recipients, enabling seniors like Susan R. to afford long-awaited vaccinations. As a senior on a fixed income, the $400 copay for the shingles vaccine had been cost-prohibitive. “But I was relieved to see I could get it at no cost after the Inflation Reduction Act passed. It’s been a major blessing to get the shingles vaccine with no copay; this is a life-changing policy.”
Source: invest.gov Source: CAP Action