Grand Canyon Times

On August 29, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly praised the announcement of the first ten prescription drugs for which Medicare will negotiate lower prices under reforms that he worked on and passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The list includes Eliquis, a common blood thinner used to prevent clots, and drugs used to treat diabetes, arthritis, and other conditions. The negotiations will cut out-of-pocket prescription costs for tens of thousands of Arizonans taking these drugs starting in 2026.  

“No Arizona senior should have to choose between putting food on their table or buying the medications they need to prevent heart attacks and strokes or treat chronic conditions. That’s why I fought to finally give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for the most expensive prescription drugs,” said Senator Kelly. “Today’s announcement is a huge step toward driving down the cost of life-saving prescription drugs for tens of thousands of Arizona seniors.”  

Background: Today’s announcement of the first ten medications for which Medicare will negotiate lower prices on behalf of more than 1.1 million Arizonans and over 50 million Medicare Part D recipients nationwide was enabled by the passage of Kelly’s prescription drug reforms in the IRA. The list includes commonly used medications such as Eliquis, a blood thinner used by more than 70,000 Arizona Medicare part D recipients at an average annual out-of-pocket cost of $481. Kelly’s plan to lower prescription drug costs, which was signed into law as part of the IRA, also included provisions to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month for an estimated 63,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Arizona and cap annual out-of-pockets prescription drug costs at $2000 for an estimated 30,000 Arizonans who exceed that amount.  

Original source can be found here.