House Democrats must move quickly to vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, following long-awaited Senate Passage
DENVER — On Sunday afternoon, after months of grueling debate and a time-consuming vote-a-rama through the weekend, Senate Democrats successfully passed the Inflation Reduction Act with all 50 party-line votes and a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Early Sunday morning, Republicans successfully knocked out a $35 cap on insulin for private insurance plans. Even still, the $740 billion package includes a three-year ACA subsidies extension, allows Medicare to negotiate drug pricing (including a crucial $35 insulin cap for Medicare enrollees), and provides $370 billion to fight climate change, while saving roughly $300 billion.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lauded the bill’s passage on Sunday, calling it “the most comprehensive piece of legislation affecting the American people in decades.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi celebrated the Senate’s work, stating, “the House will return and move swiftly to send this bill to the President’s desk — proudly building a healthier, cleaner, fairer future for all Americans.” House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer indicated that the House would take the measure up on Friday.
Voices of Health Care Action Founder and Affordable Care Act Advocate Laura Packard issued the following statement:
“Finally, Senate Democrats stepped up and worked together to secure a health care win for Americans. The Senate’s slim majority vote reminds us that every election and every vote matters. Without 50 Democratic Senators and a Vice President willing to break the Chamber’s tie, this monumental legislative achievement would be impossible. Instead, Congress finally delivered for the American people.
This weekend, Senate Republicans demonstrated contempt for Americans’ health care. They would rather vote against life-saving health insurance subsidies, defend Big Pharma and ignore climate change than support progressive legislation. They continue to prioritize the wealthy individuals and powerful corporations that fund their campaigns, at the expense of the American people. Their removal of the $35 cap on insulin for Americans with private insurance coverage demonstrates just how far they will go to protect their own interests.
This coming week, House Democrats must move quickly to vote and pass this legislation. The sooner President Biden can sign this bill into law, the better off we will all be. Hopefully, the estimated 13 million Americans who are anticipating skyrocketing health care premiums will be able to rest easy soon knowing that Congress did their jobs and ultimately avoided a health insurance coverage catastrophe in 2023.”
Laura Packard is the founder of Voices of Health Care Action, executive director of Health Care Voter, and a stage-4 cancer survivor. The Affordable Care Act saved her life. She is a co-host of Care Talk, a call-in health care show on act.tv to answer America’s health insurance questions about the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid (airing Mondays at 4:30pm ET). If you’d like to connect with Laura about the ACA, the cost of health care, or her 2023 plans, please reach out to Charlotte Bennett at charlotte.bennett@firesidecampaigns.com.
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