One year ago today, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law. A major focus of this law are provisions to begin to lower Rx drug prices and out-of-pocket costs for people on Medicare and the Medicare program.

For the first time ever, Medicare will soon begin negotiating lower prices with drug corporations, reversing a ban that was put in place two decades ago by drug industry lobbyists when Medicare Part D was created. However, major drug corporations and their business allies are now suing Medicare to stop this new negotiation process.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone today at our rally to “Save Medicare’s Lower Drug Prices!”. We’re gathering at 12 noon outside the NYC office of Jones Day, the notorious right-wing law firm, located at 250 Vesey Street, along the Hudson River just west of the World Trade Center complex in lower Manhattan. Jones Day is representing two major drug corporations that have filed these lawsuits against Medicare: Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck.

Here’s all the information about our rally.

We’re also asking everyone to post items to your social media platforms about today’s anniversary. Here’s a handy toolkit you can use.

In addition, Senator Schumer’s office has reached out to us about an IRA anniversary video they are releasing at 9 a.m. today on his social media platforms, asking people to view and share it.

Here’s how the IRA is and will help people on Medicare afford the medicines they need:

• This year (2023)…  All vaccines are now free; insulin co-pays are capped at $35 per month; annual manufacturer price increases are limited to the general inflation rate (historically it’s been 3 times higher.)
• Next year (2024)… Premium increases for Medicare Part D are limited to 6% per year; the 5% co-pay is eliminated for Part D’s catastrophic coverage phase; eligibility for financial assistance to help pay Part D premiums is expanded to more low-income people.
• 2025… Total annual co-pays for medicine are capped at $2,000 per person.
• 2026… Lower negotiated drug prices go into effect.
• 2027 and beyond… More and more drugs are added into the negotiation system each year.

More background information is available here from our partners at the Medicare Rights Center. For a deep policy dive into the IRA and Rx drugs, here’s a really good slide deck from Kaiser Family Foundation.

Today we celebrate the 88^th anniversary of the Social Security Act being signed into law! Over nearly a century, it has since become a bedrock of social justice policy and law in the United States, growing to encompass many important health and economic security programs, most notably unemployment insurance, workers compensation, retirement income, disability insurance and SSI, maternal and child health and welfare, and Medicare and Medicaid.

Social Security programs are beloved and highly valued by people across the US, across the political spectrum. Yet there are still forces who want to scale it back or privatize it in the name of supposedly “saving it” and the ideas they talk about would actually undermine it as a social insurance program benefiting millions who live paycheck-to-paycheck.  

There are simple ways to stabilize the Social Security Trust Fund for many years into the future, such as lifting the cap on annual income subject to FICA contributions. In addition, there are bills in Congress to actually strengthen and expand Social Security to provide more help to more people. Meanwhile, House Speaker McCarthy says he favors setting up a special commission to fast-track changes behind closed doors – we know that’s a really bad and scary idea that will threaten the financial security and health of tens of millions of people and families.

How best to celebrate Social Security:

• Join a special virtual town hall today at 1 p.m.(E) on either YouTube or Facebook.
• Contact Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and YOUR House Rep. and tell them to reject Speaker McCarthy’s special commission idea. Urge them to instead support the Social Security Expansion Act (S.393/Sanders, HR 1046/Schakowsky) and the Social Security 2100 Act (S.2280 Blumenthal, HR 4583/Larson)
• Watch this terrific recent webinar about the history of Social Security and what can be done to protect and improve it:

AND IN ADDITION…

There’s one other, NEW anniversary happening this Wed. Aug. 16 – the Inflation Reduction Act that was signed into law just one year ago. It is taking historic steps to lower Rx drug prices and co-pays for people on Medicare, and it can be built on to lower drug prices for people with other kinds of insurance over time.

We’re marking this new political holiday by holding a protest against the greedy drug corporations who are suing Medicare to stop its new Rx drug price negotiation program that will start to move ahead publicly in just 3 weeks on Sept. 1^st.

Here’s all the information on our protest. Please join us this Wed. at noon in lower Manhattan, along the Hudson River adjacent to the World Trade Center complex. Here are social media resources you can also use.

They lost in Congress last year, and now they’re turning to the federal courts!  (Sound familiar?)

Big Pharma and its allies are trying to stop Medicare’s new Rx drug price negotiation program before it even gets going. Four drug corporations and two of their business allies have filed lawsuits against Medicare: Astellas, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Merck, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures Association (the industry’s political lobby), and the US Chamber of Commerce.

What’s at stake in this tug of war? Nearly $162 billion in savings to Medicare and people on Medicare over the next decade that will finally lower drug prices.

Here’s what YOU and your organization can do to tell the CEOs of these lawsuit filers what you think:

• Individuals can sign this online petition that calls on them to “drop your lawsuits, and drop your prices!” The goal is 100K signatures by the beginning of next week – over 70K have already signed it!
• Organizations can sign on to this letter to these CEOs that says the same. The goal is 100 groups by next week, and over 55 have already done so.

Please spread the word to invite other people and groups to sign on to these two documents.

Patients in the US have been getting ripped off by drug corporations for years. These companies have charged us two to three times more than what people in all other industrialized countries pay for medicine. In the meantime, these firms are among THE most profitable in the world, and their CEOs make multi-millions every year.

Finally, don’t forget to join us for our “Save Medicare’s Lower Drug Prices!” rally taking place next Wed. Aug. 16 at 12 noon outside the NYC office of the notorious right-wing and anti-union law firm, Jones Day. It’s located at 250 Vesey St. (at the Hudson River) in lower Manhattan, just west of the World Trade Center complex. Jones Day is the law firm for Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck for their Medicare lawsuits. Full details and resources about the rally are here.

NYC Rally to “SAVE MEDICARE’S LOWER DRUG PRICES!”

Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck are both suing Medicare to block its new Rx drug price negotiation program before it even gets started!

The notorious Jones Day is their law firm.

___________

Join New Yorkers to demand that BMS and Merck:

“Drop Your Lawsuit, Drop Your Prices!”

___________

Wed. Aug. 16 @ 12 noon

Outside the NYC office of Jones Day

250 Vesey Street (at Hudson River) in Lower Manhattan

RSVPs and more info:  https://bit.ly/Aug16NYCMedicareRally

Outreach & promotion materials to share:

• Online event page
• PDF flyer
• Facebook event
• Social media toolkit

What else to do:

• Organizations are asked to sign-on to this letter jointly addressed to the CEOs of the entities that are suing Medicare (Astellas, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Merck, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Assoc., US Chamber of Commerce.)
• Individuals can sign this online petition also addressed to these CEOs.

Sponsors [list in formation]:

• ACT UP New York
• Be a Hero
• Center for Independence of the Disabled New York
• Center for Popular Democracy
• Citizen Action of New York
• Council of Municipal Retirees Organizations
• Cross-Union Retirees Organizing Committee
• Health Care for America Now
• Health GAP
• Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility
• Lower Drug Prices Now
• Make the Road New York
• Metro New York Health Care for All
• New Jersey Citizen Action
• New York Progressive Action Network
• New York Statewide Senior Action Council
• Northwest Bronx Indivisible
• Patients for Affordable Drugs
• People’s Action
• Public Citizen
• Physicians for a National Health Program, New York Metro Chapter
• Professional Staff Congress CUNY
• Rise and Resist
• 1199SEIU / GNYHA Healthcare Education Project
• 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
• Social Security Works
• Universities Allied for Essential Medicines

Additional group sponsor sign-on form here.

Note: Co-sponsorship means that a group agrees to promote this rally through its networks, and will work to have a contingent participate. Organizational banners are welcome!

Rally endorsers (for public officials and community leaders only) [list in formation] Endorsement form here

• Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10)
• Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-12)