The transformative power of accessible healthcare: Janice Poirier’s story
In August 2022, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act ignited hope across the nation, bringing about a revolutionary change in prescription drug costs. This February, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent out the first round of offers to participating drug companies, marking the beginning of a new era in healthcare. This monumental shift allows Medicare to directly negotiate prescription drug prices, offering relief to millions of Americans burdened by exorbitant costs.
Amid the statistics and policy changes is the story of Janice Poirier, president of the Florida Education Association Retired chapter. Poirier, who has had diabetes since 2000, faced the daunting reality of escalating insulin prices. Her struggle to cope with the high price of insulin was filled with twists and turns, much like the difficulties many Americans confront as the cost of life-saving medications rises.
Poirier remembers the shock of discovering the astronomical price of insulin when she went to refill her prescription: “I couldn’t believe it. I said how do people pay for this?”
Her initial disbelief turned into a desperate search for alternatives, even resorting to obtaining insulin from relatives abroad. “I traveled to France with my husband, and we visited a cousin who was a pharmacist there. That’s how I was getting my insulin,” she says.
The barriers seemed insurmountable, from restrictions on obtaining insulin from other countries to the mysterious “Medicare doughnut hole,” a term she didn’t understand; it refers to the temporary limit on what the drug plan will cover for prescription drugs. And, sometimes, her life-saving prescription was out of stock at the local pharmacy.
The introduction of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program became a lifeline for Poirier and countless others.
The introduction of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program became a lifeline for Poirier and countless others. The Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic prescription drug provisions, initiated changes that reached the lives of everyday Americans. Last year, people with Medicare started seeing savings in their prescription drug costs, including access to recommended vaccines with no cost sharing as well as covered insulin products that were capped at $35 per month. Poirier, who once faced the dilemma of choosing between life-sustaining insulin and financial strain, now finds solace in the capped cost of her prescription.
“Thank goodness, there’s now a cap of $35 on the insulin — something that I need to keep me alive. I am so grateful to the Biden Administration for its commitment to lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” she says. “I probably would not be able to afford my insulin without his help.”
Poirier’s story is an example of the transformative power of accessible healthcare. Her ability to overcome the financial barriers highlights the importance of policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and offers a glimmer of hope to those who struggle with the high costs of healthcare.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working to implement the historic prescription drug provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and make sure more Americans can benefit from the lower healthcare costs the law brings.
Starting this year, some beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket prescription drug costs will be capped at about $3,500 per year. Additional savings arrive in 2025 when yearly Part D out-of-pocket costs will be capped at $2,000.
To help more Americans understand and access these benefits, HHS launched LowerDrugCosts.gov, a resource hub to ensure people with Medicare are aware of all the ways beneficiaries may see prescription drug savings thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.
The program also includes the Low-Income Subsidy [Extra Help] program expansion. Additional savings are available to those eligible for Medicare’s Extra Help program. The Extra Help program’s full benefit is available to all eligible Medicare recipients who qualify.
Those who qualify for Extra Help will pay no Medicare drug plan premium; no plan deductible; and a reduced amount for both generic and brand-name drugs. For more information about the Extra Help program, visit Medicare.gov/extrahelp. To enroll in the Extra Help program, visit the Social Security Administration online at ssa.gov/extrahelp.
This story was written by AFT communications specialist Adrienne Coles. Want to see more stories like this? Subscribe to AFT e-newsletters.
