Davids Celebrates New Lower Prescription Drug Prices During Townhall at Senior Living Center

OLATHE, KS - Today, Representative Sharice Davids held a townhall at Ridgeview Village Senior Living in Olathe to celebrate new reduction in prescription drug costs for Kansans on Medicare. As a result, 74,000 Kansans who take these prescription drugs will see their costs decrease by up to 79 percent. Davids was the only member of Kansas’ congressional delegation to support these new cost-saving measures, that will lower Americans' out-of-pocket drug costs by $1.5 billion in the first year alone.

“This week’s announcement of new prescription drug savings is a major win for Kansans, including the folks I spoke with today,” said Davids. “From capping insulin costs to allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, legislation I supported in Congress is providing significant savings and helping to ensure that our seniors have access to the affordable health care they need. I'm proud of the progress we've made, but there's more work to be done to continue lowering costs for all Kansans."

During her town hall this morning, Davids highlighted how the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law exactly two years ago, continues to lower health care costs for Kansans. This week’s announcement about Medicare negotiating lower prices for 10 of the most expensive and frequently used drugs will benefit thousands of Kansans. These drugs — which treat conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer — will see reduced prices starting January 1, 2026 for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

Because of these new savings, American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs, and people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the first year alone. Along with allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, the Inflation Reduction Act:

• Insulin: Caps the cost of insulin at $35 a month for Medicare beneficiaries.
  • This initiative saves 4,300 insulin users in Kansas’ Third District an average of $620 annually.
• ACA Tax Credits: Extends tax breaks for people who purchase insurance on Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges through 2025, saving 44,000 residents in Kansas’ Third District an average of $780 a year on health insurance premiums.
  • Individuals pay no more than 8.5 percent of their income toward health coverage — down from the previous 10 percent. Lower income individuals will pay $0 in premiums.
• Capping Drug Costs: Caps Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 per year, with the option to break that amount into affordable monthly payments throughout the year.
• Inflation Rebate: Institutes a new inflation rebate under Medicare so that drug companies must rebate back the difference to Medicare if they raise prices higher than inflation.

Davids is a fierce advocate for making health care more affordable and accessible to all Kansans. She supported legislation to protect patients from out-of-network surprise medical bills, which has shielded patients from millions of surprise bills since passage. This law included Davids’ original legislation to improve insurer transparency, helping patients avoid unintentional out-of-network health care visits.