Press Releases

Left to right: Chris Fraser, President & CEO of Westside Family Healthcare, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Lucretia Young, AARP Delaware State Director

WILMINGTON, Del.  — Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) hosted Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), for a fireside chat at the Wilmington Senior Center. Since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, its historic provisions have helped lower health care and prescription drug costs for seniors in Delaware and around the country. The conversation focused on five provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act including: 1) the $35/month cap on insulin, 2) the yearly cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, 3) expanded eligibility for Medicare Part D’s Extra-Help Low-Income Subsidy, 4) free recommended vaccines for Medicare beneficiaries, and 5) Medicare’s power to now negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Also joining Blunt Rochester and Brooks-LaSure were Chris Fraser, President & CEO of Westside Family Healthcare, Lucretia Young, AARP Delaware State Director, and representatives from the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that about 63,000 Delawareans will save an average of $449 per year on their prescription drug costs thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

“I am incredibly proud of the progress that the Inflation Reduction Act has made toward cutting health care and prescription drug costs for our seniors,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, member of the House Health Subcommittee. “I am grateful to Administrator Brooks-LaSure, as well as AARP Delaware, Westside Family Healthcare, and the Wilmington Senior Center for joining me for this important conversation surrounding seniors’ health and wellness. I’m energized to continue working alongside the Biden Administration to ensure our seniors have access to quality health care at an affordable price.”

“Americans are already seeing the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, including free recommended vaccines, lower insulin costs, and expanded eligibility for Medicare’s Extra Help program that helps lower drugs costs,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “CMS is continuing to implement the many important provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act on time to help older Americans and people with disabilities afford the care they need.”

“AARP worked for years for these changes,” said Lucretia Young, AARP Delaware State Director.  “The law is transformative and makes historic improvements in the health and well-being of older Americans by making their prescription drugs more affordable. I am grateful to Rep. Blunt Rochester and CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure for bringing us together today to help us share these important benefits for older Delawareans.”

"The Inflation Reduction Act is essential for Delaware's federally qualified health centers, as it lowers prescription drug costs, making vital medications and free vaccines more accessible to our patients,” said Chris Fraser, President & CEO of Westside Family Healthcare. “We thank our Congressional Delegation for championing this legislation. Reducing drug costs is crucial for addressing health disparities in underserved areas of Delaware.”

Blunt Rochester, alongside U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.), championed the Inflation Reduction Act in Congress. She previously brought patients and stakeholders together to discuss the bill’s impact and also held a roundtable in 2019 to seek input from Delawareans on how to best address the rising costs of insulin.

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