WASHINGTON – On April 26, 2023, Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the Seniors Securing Access to Vital and Essential (SAVE) Prescription Drugs Act. This bipartisan legislation would help low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities access the prescription drugs they need by expanding access to Medicare subsidies.
Nevada has more than 560,000 residents enrolled in Medicare, and more than 406,000 of those beneficiaries receive their prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D. To address high prescription drug costs, Medicare offers an “Extra Help” program to help the most vulnerable seniors afford their Part D premiums, deductibles, and prescription copayments. But right now, seniors who responsibly saved for retirement are excluded from receiving this critical support because their savings put them over the income and asset eligibility limits for the program. The Seniors SAVE Prescription Drugs Act ends this nonsensical penalty by excluding covered retirement accounts from “Extra Help” eligibility determinations. That means more Nevada seniors would qualify for the prescription drug assistance they need without being penalized for doing the right thing by saving for retirement.
“We’ve made major strides in our efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, but the work continues,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “That’s why I’m working to bring Republicans and Democrats together to tackle skyrocketing prescription drug costs. I’m proud to partner with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick to introduce this legislation to help seniors qualify for Medicare’s ‘Extra Help’ program and ensure that seniors who saved responsibly for retirement don’t have that held against them. By working together, we can lower out-of-pocket costs for our most vulnerable seniors.”
“Our seniors deserve to have affordable healthcare, which includes access to prescription drugs,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “The bipartisan Seniors SAVE Act will assist low-income seniors in paying for their prescriptions, and I am proud to introduce it with my colleague Congresswoman Lee.”
This legislation is supported by the following entities and organizations:
• Patient Access Network Foundation
• National Council on Aging
• Medicare Rights Center
• Battle Born Progress
• National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
• Alliance for Retired Americans
• Justice in Aging
You can find more information and additional quotes of support here.
Congresswoman Lee has been a champion for expanding access to affordable health care, leading the MOBILE Health Care Act signed into law last year and voting to lower drug prices as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. This bipartisan bill introduction follows years of hard work across the aisle. Congresswoman Lee has been named the 10th most bipartisan member of 435 in the House and serves alongside her Republican colleagues as Vice Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus.
Original source can be found here.
