Dear Blenders,
The back still sucks–but I think I can safely say; it sucks less than it did yesterday,
signed,
When Biden Bits was posted for Wednesday, President Biden tweeted 2 times. He added 4 tweets giving him a Wednesday Tweeting Total of 6 tweets and 0 retweets.
All 4 added tweets talk about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, but none of them are exact quote to tweet text.
But since I foolishly forgot to include the YouTube of his remarks in yesterday’s Biden’s Bits…
Here is the 23 minute and 20 second YouTube of those remarks…
*shrugs helplessly*
Eight-three percent of Americans…
I turned to Google in my time of need to say something and found from June of 2021 a survey conducted by West Health and Gallup:
When choosing between the need for major reform in drug pricing and maintaining the status quo, 90% of Americans chose to support reforms, including 96% of Democrats, 88% of Independents and 83% of Republicans. Sweeping support also exists for specific actions including setting limits on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs (87% strongly or somewhat supporting) and general healthcare (84%) in Medicare and limiting hospital charges for those with private insurance (83%), and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for all Americans, not just Medicare beneficiaries, is supported by 70% of respondents.
West Health.org. 06/03/2021.
The survey was conducted by web between April 15th-21st 2021, with 3,719 U.S. adults participating.
I did find in his remarks that the word “decades” appears twice:
President Biden: This law — this law that I’m about to sign finally delivers on a promise that Washington has made for decades to the American people.
President Biden: That’s what’s happening now. From the American Rescue Plan that helped create nearly 10 million new jobs, to a once-in-a-generation infrastructure law that will rebuild America’s roads, bridges, ports; deliver clean water, high-speed Internet to every American; to the first meaningful gun safety law in 30 years — and if I have anything to do with it, we’re still going to have an assault weapons ban, but that’s another story. And to get significant veterans’ healthcare law in decades, for the first time; to a groundbreaking CHIPS and Science Law that’s going to ensure that technologies and jobs of the future are made here in America — in America. (Applause.)
The above is basically just a campaign tweet patting himself and the Democrats on the back, but the word “possibilities” does appear twice in his remarks…
President Biden: To me, the critical duty — the critical duty of the presidency is to defend what is best about America. And that’s not hyperbole. Defend what’s best about America. To pursue justice, to ensure fairness, and to deliver results that create possibilities — possibilities that all of us — all of us can live a life of consequence and prosperity in a nation that’s safe and secure. That’s the job.
“Medicare” appears in his remarks 4 times…
President Biden: I got here as a 29-year-old kid. We were promising to make sure that Medicare would have the power to negotiate lower drug prices back then — back then — prescription drug prices. But guess what? We’re giving Medicare the power to negotiate those prices now, on some drugs. This means seniors are going to pay less for their prescription drugs while we’re changing circumstances for people on Medicare by putting a cap — a cap of a maximum of $2,000 a year on their prescription drug costs, no matter what the reason for those prescriptions are. That means if you’re on Medicare, you’ll never have to pay more than $2,000 a year no matter how many prescriptions you have, whether it’s for cancer or any other disease. No more than $2,000 a year.
In the bill text, that I refuse to download just yet (it warns against it–for now), I found “$35” five times…
Two of the five times do not relate to insulin cost; near as I can tell.
Near as I can tell based on several Google hits, the insulin cap is only for those on Medicare.
President Biden’s Public Schedule for Thursday, August 18th, 2022:
| Official Schedule | The President has no public events scheduled. Biden Residence, Wilmington, DEOut-of-Town Pool |
| 10:00 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Biden Residence, Wilmington, DEOut-of-Town Pool |
President Biden has tweeted…
He has tweeted 2 times so far for Thursday…
“Deficit” appears 3 times in his remarks.
President Biden: And here’s another win for the American people: In addition — in addition to cutting the deficit by $350 billion last year, in my first year in office, and cutting it $1.7 trillion this year, this fiscal year, we’re going to cut the deficit — I point out — by another $300 billion with the Inflation Reduction Act over the next decade. We’re cutting deficit to fight inflation by having the wealthy and big corporations finally begin to pay part of their fair share.
“$400,000” appears 1 time:
President Biden: And I’m keeping my campaign commitment: No one — let me emphasize — no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in federal taxes. (Applause.)
We have 18 days between now and September 6th 2022, when President Biden holds the celebration to celebrate the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022…
I assume the repetitive tweets to continue until then…
I base that assumption on the following from White House.gov:
- Fact-sheet 08/17/2022: Inflation Reduction Act Advances Environmental Justice
- Fact-sheet 08/17/2022: How the Inflation Reduction Act Helps Rural Communities
- Fact-sheet 08/17/2022: STATE FACT SHEETS: How the Inflation Reduction Act Lowers Energy Costs, Creates Jobs, and Tackles Climate Change Across America
- Fact-sheet 08/16/2022: How the Inflation Reduction Act Builds a Better Future for Young Americans
- Fact-sheet 08/16/2022: How the Inflation Reduction Act Helps Black Communities
- Fact-sheet 08/16/2022: How the Inflation Reduction Act Helps Latino Communities
- By the Numbers 08/15/2022: The Inflation Reduction Act
The White House has published a fact-sheet not related to the Inflation Reduction Act: White House Announces New Actions to Combat Monkeypox Outbreak
Today, the White House National Monkeypox Response team announced a series of actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to further accelerate its response to the monkeypox (MPV) outbreak and mitigate the spread of the virus. Since the first case was confirmed in the United States, the Administration has led a whole-of-government response to make tests, vaccines, and treatments more widely available to communities across the country and has worked with the LGBTQI+ community to provide information and resources directly to communities most at risk of contracting the virus.
To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered nearly 1 million doses of JYNNEOS vaccine to jurisdictions – the largest JYNNEOS MPV vaccine program in the world. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the Emergency Use Authorization of the JYNNEOS vaccine to be administered intradermally in individuals 18 years of age and older determined to be at high risk of MPV, without compromising the level of immune response achieved or the safety of the vaccine. The action means that each vial of vaccine can be used for up to five doses, since the appropriate dose for intradermal administration is 0.1mL versus 0.5mL required per dose administered subcutaneously. Paired with that announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a robust set of resources and tools to help jurisdictions train providers and health care professionals on how to administer the vaccine intradermally.
In less than ten days following FDA’s EUA on intradermal administration, some of the country’s largest counties have transitioned completely to intradermal administration of the JYNNEOS vaccine for eligible adults, including Los Angeles County, California, and Fulton County, Georgia. The increased availability of vaccine doses has also enabled more jurisdictions to offer second doses to eligible individuals, as the JYNNEOS vaccine is administered as two doses, four weeks apart for maximum protection
The Biden-Harris Administration has also significantly increased availability and convenience of orthopoxvirus tests, expanding capacity of tests from 6,000 tests per week to 80,000 tests per week. Additionally, the Administration has taken a number of steps to make TPOXX, a treatment for MPV, more accessible to prescribe, and today’s announcements build on those actions.To increase availability of vaccines, tests, and treatments, and protect communities most at risk of contracting the virus:
White House.gov. 08/18/2022.
HHS to make 1.8 million doses of vaccine available for ordering beginning Monday.
Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allocated and began distributing another 442,000 doses of vaccine to jurisdictions across the country. The announcement was the first allocation of vaccine following FDA’s EUA allowing for intradermal administration of the JYNNEOS vaccine, so the 442,000 doses reflect the number of total doses that could be available through intradermal administration.
Today, HHS is announcing that it has accelerated Phase 4 of its National Vaccine Strategy and will be making an additional 1.8 million doses available for ordering starting Monday, August 22. Jurisdictions that are adopting the intradermal administration of vaccine and have used 90% of their current supply of vaccine will be able to order additional doses.
The Administration is making these doses available ahead of schedule to encourage rapid distribution of vaccine to individuals at high risk of contracting the virus, particularly gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. The Administration is also encouraging intradermal administration of vaccine and providing technical assistance, support, and resources to jurisdictions in the process of adopting and expanding intradermal administration.
White House.gov. 08/18/2022.
The Administration is making more vaccines available for jurisdictions hosting large LGBTQI+ events.
HHS is launching a pilot program to provide additional vaccine allocations to state and local health departments in jurisdictions that are hosting large events that attract gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the coming weeks and months. The pilot program is setting aside 50,000 doses of vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) that jurisdictions can request to order on top of their existing vaccine allocations and supply. The number of additional doses made available to a jurisdiction will be based on the size and nature of the event, and the ability to reach attendees at highest risk for MPV.
In addition to making more vaccine doses available, the CDC is offering assistance and support to jurisdictions to prepare for these large events, including helping develop vaccine and testing strategies to be stood up in and around these events, developing tools for information-gathering from event participants, and providing messaging and communications resources on vaccines, testing, and strategies to reduce one’s risk of contracting the virus. CDC is also working with jurisdictions to quickly adopt the intradermal administration of JYNNEOS vaccine so more doses can be administered at these events to more people.
The Administration has already started working with North Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana health departments to prepare for large LGBTQI+ gatherings in those states in the coming days and weeks. For example, the Administration worked with North Carolina to develop a plan to administer vaccines during the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade on August 20th and 21st. The Administration will support North Carolina with up to 2,000 additional doses by replenishing their stock of vaccine with the number of doses administered during these events. Those doses are in addition to the more than 18,000 doses North Carolina has already received through its existing allocations.
White House.gov. 08/18/2022.
ASPR is making 50,000 courses of TPOXX available to jurisdictions for prepositioning to facilitate timely access to TPOXX for eligible patients.
The Biden-Harris Administration will make available 50,000 patient courses of TPOXX to jurisdictions next week – nearly five times more courses than confirmed cases in the United States – to make the treatment more readily available for providers and patients. Jurisdictions will be allocated courses of TPOXX using formula based 75% on the number of cases in their jurisdiction and 25% on the number of individuals who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus, including individuals who are living with HIV or who could benefit from HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. This allocation is in addition to over 20,000 courses ASPR has already deployed to jurisdictions from the SNS.
Since TPOXX was approved under the FDA’s Animal Rule for the treatment of smallpox based on efficacy data in animals and safety data in healthy human volunteers – in the absence of clinical studies in patients with MPV – it is important that this drug be used judiciously in accordance with the Expanded Access protocol and applicable treatment guidelines.
White House.gov. 08/18/2022.
And like is typical the White House has posted a new Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 fact-sheet: STATE FACT SHEETS: How the Inflation Reduction Act Lowers Health Care Costs Across America
Today, the White House released state fact sheets that highlight how the Inflation Reduction Act lowers health care costs for Americans nationwide. The fact sheets highlight how millions of Americans across all 50 states and the District of Columbia will benefit from Medicare finally having the power to negotiate prescription drug prices, will gain peace of mind from knowing that their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs are capped at $2,000 annually in Medicare, and will save hundreds of dollars per year on health insurance premiums because of the law.
After three decades of attempts, the Inflation Reduction Act takes on one of the most powerful special interests in history – the pharmaceutical lobby – to deliver cost savings directly to American families. And, it protects the progress made under the Biden-Harris Administration to give more Americans access to affordable health insurance coverage, bringing the uninsured rate to an all-time low. By signing the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden is delivering on his promise to lower prescription drug costs, make health insurance more affordable, and make the economy work for working families.
White House.gov. 08/18/2022.
Fact Sheets by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- D.C.
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
I clicked on California, obviously, as that’s where I live as do my parents. It’s a 3 pg., PDF that breaks down what residents of the state are expected to gain from the Inflation Reduction Act.
For example:
Cutting Prescription Drug Costs
Americans pay two to three times what citizens of other countries pay for prescription drugs. For some drugs, U.S. prices are even higher than that. For example, a GAO study found that Spiriva, used to control asthma and used by about 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2020, had an estimated U.S. net price of $250 in 2020 and cost between $30 and $52 in France, Australia and Canada. Myrbetriq, used to control overactive bladder and used by over 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2020, had an estimated U.S. net price of $164 and cost $43 in Canada.
The Inflation Reduction Act finally takes on this problem by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for high-cost drugs. It also provides seniors and people with disabilities who have Medicare coverage with new protections against unaffordable prescription drug bills.
PDF pg., 1.
- Protecting Millions of Californians from Catastrophic Drug Costs by Capping Medicare Beneficiary Out-of-Pocket Costs in Part D at $2,000. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and lung disease can face thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, and millions of people in Medicare struggle to afford their medications. The Act will require Part D plans to offer improved financial protections that would phase in starting in 2024, with the $2,000 out-of pocket cap taking effect in 2025. Each year, that will benefit about 114,800 California Medicare beneficiaries who would otherwise have out-of-pocket costs above the cap, according to estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). And, for the first time, all 5.1 million Californians with Medicare Part D will have the peace of mind of knowing their pharmacy costs are capped.
- Saving Billions of Dollars for Seniors and People with Disabilities and the Federal Government by Allowing Medicare to Negotiate Prices for High-Cost Drugs. By bringing down the cost of these drugs, the legislation will save billions of dollars for both Medicare beneficiaries, who will see reduced out-of-pocket costs, and the federal government. Nationwide, KFF estimates suggest that some 5 to 7 million beneficiaries each year use the types of high-cost drugs that would be subject to negotiation and could see reduced cost sharing as a result.
To be continued tomorrow…
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