Richmond, VA —President Joe Biden visited Culpeper, Virginia, yesterday to emphasize the Biden-Harris administration’s work to lower health care costs, including prescription drug costs, for American families. The president was joined by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and a Culpeper family, the Davises, who have firsthand experience with the high costs of lifesaving medicines. The president has a plan to lower costs and fight for families in Culpeper and across the nation.
Here’s what Virginians are reading on their front pages today…
The Free Lance-Star: President Biden visits Culpeper to tout plan to reduce health care costs
“We’re saying to drug companies: You are finally going to be held accountable when you raise prices on the American people,” Biden said, adding that the companies would still earn significant profits.
The president’s plan would also allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and cap out-of-pocket annual drug costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000. U.S. citizens pay about two to three times more for prescription drugs than other developed countries, Biden said.
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The president highlighted health care accomplishments under his administration, including providing health insurance to more than 5 million more Americans and some 300,000 Virginians under the Affordable Care Act. Biden also noted a law that took effect Jan. 1 outlawing “surprise billing” from hospitals by making actual costs and charges more transparent.
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Biden, with Spanberger in Culpeper, urges lower prescription drug prices
The president was accompanied by a family from Chesterfield County to make the case. He was introduced by Joshua Davis, a Midlothian-area middle school student on the cusp of his 13th birthday, whose family pays $6,000 to $7,000 a year on insulin for him and his father, Brian, who both have Type 1 diabetes.
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The president castigated pharmaceutical companies for inflating the price of essential medicines far beyond the cost to produce them. “The idea that you can charge whatever you want is not going to happen in the United States of America,” he said.
Culpeper Star-Exponent: Pres. Biden visits Culpeper, addresses health care costs
“When the price of gas went up, you felt it in the household; it matters. But the fact is if we are able to do the things we’re talking about here it will bring down costs for average families,” Biden said. The president’s signature legislation, which passed the House of Representatives but is stalled in the Senate, includes a provision that would charge a steep tax on drug companies whose prices increase faster than the rate of inflation.
The News Virginian, AP: Biden puts focus on drug prices in fight against inflation
Biden's proposals include capping out-of-pocket medication costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000 per year and insulin at $35 per month. In addition, Medicare would be allowed to negotiate prices for a limited number of prescription drugs and drugmakers would be required to pay rebates if they raise costs faster than inflation.
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