Espaillat, House Democrats Took On Big Pharma, Delivered Lower Prescription Costs For Constituents

NEW YORK, NY — Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement touting successful efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration to lower prescription prices for the first ten drugs that have been negotiated by Medicare. 

“Once again, Democrats have delivered because we firmly believe that no one should ever have to choose between putting food on the table and affording the medications they need to survive,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, we took on Big Pharma to lower drug prices – and we won. 

“For years, leaders tried to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers to deliver lower prices for seniors and people with disabilities, but Big Pharma blocked them. President Biden got it done when he signed the Inflation Reduction Act – with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. These new, lower prices cut the cost of some of the most expensive and most commonly used drugs by nearly 40 to 80%. These drugs are used to treat everything from blood clots to diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and more. 

“The lower prices will go into effect in 2026 and will be felt by the 650,000 Medicare beneficiaries in New York that rely on drugs selected for negotiation. This action builds on the progress the Biden-Harris Administration has already made lowering health care costs, including the Inflation Reduction Act’s $35 insulin cap, which has saved more than 76,000 Medicare enrollees an average of $483 per year, and capping out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 for seniors which has saved more than $196 million for enrollees and people with disabilities.” 

Click here to read more about the Biden-Harris Administration's new plan to lower prices for ten drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation to lower costs for millions of Americans. 

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov