Dept. of Health and Human Services secretary visits East New York in push to lower prescription drug prices
HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra sat down with seniors in East New York at Advantage Care Physicians’ facility, alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies and New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan.
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The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services visited Brooklyn Friday, speaking with the community about the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce the price of prescription medicine.
HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra sat down with seniors in East New York at Advantage Care Physicians’ facility, alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies and New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Americans pay two to three times more for prescription drugs than people in other high-income countries.
Federal officials say the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden last summer, is going to change that, especially for those on Medicare.
Some of the attempted ways to make that happen include capping the price of insulin at $35, and allowing Medicare to negotiate better prices for some prescription drugs.
"We are announcing at HHS that we are preparing to do the negotiations for prescription drugs that the law now makes possible,” says Becerra. “Because it's no longer against the law for America to negotiate to get the best price for prescription medication under Medicare."
Becerra says the HHS will continue to push the Inflation Reduction Act, because no American should ever have to choose between paying rent or for prescriptions.
