Lots of Americans say they are prepared to vote against President Joe Biden in November. Among the many reasons seems to be a persistent belief that Biden has accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing” (according to an ABC-Washington Post poll from the summer), or that his policies have actually hurt people (according to a Wall Street Journal poll from last month).
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I suspect most Americans do grasp that Biden supports and wants to strengthen “Obamacare,” while his likely opponent ― i.e., Trump, currently the GOP front-runner ― still wants to get rid of it. But most Americans seem unaware that Biden and the Democrats have also been working to make insulin cheaper, through a pair of changes that are already taking effect.
The first of these arrived as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping 2022 climate and health care legislation that included several initiatives to reduce the price of prescription drugs. Among them was a provision guaranteeing that Medicare beneficiaries ― that is, seniors and people with disabilities ― could get insulin for just $35 a month.
The provision took effect a year ago and, at the time, the administration estimated that something like 1.5 million seniors stood to save money from it. Indeed, there’s already evidence that fewer seniors are rationing their own insulin in order to save money. But as of August, polling from the health research organization KFF found that just 24% of Americans knew the $35 cap existed.
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As of Jan. 1, the three companies that dominate the market (Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi) have all lowered prices and made some of their products available to non-elderly, non-disabled Americans for the same $35 a month that Medicare beneficiaries now pay. The companies announced these changes last year, presenting them as a voluntary action to show they want to make sure customers can get lifesaving drugs.
But by nearly all accounts, it was primarily a reaction to an obscure policy change in Medicaid, the joint federal-state program for low-income people. The effect of the tweak was to penalize drug companies financially if they had been raising commercial prices too quickly.
without a cooperative congress, that cannot happen. you want a public option? you want full single-payer tax funded comprehensive health care for all? student debt relief? no-cost public school lunches? ubi? higher taxes on the wealthy?
you already know what to do. congress needs to go hard left–and stay there. vote progressive in primaries, vote democrat in generals. every. single. time.
not able to vote
my right to vote was taken due to laws and policies crafted by politicians over the years
one of those politicians are now running the country with a prosecutor
just because your vote has been ‘taken’ away, doesn’t mean your voice has been. you can still play a role in shaping local policies–including at the state level, where your right to vote can be restored.
how?
such as contacting the local newspaper that has been bought by a corporation in another state with their own shareholder interests and who never responds to questions or anything else even a request for a story? fail
trying to rally a grassroots movement to bring awareness to issues? fail
when the populace is so tamped down by laws, policies, and militarized police forces to keep em’ in line (looking at you cop city in georgia) there is will be no change