Rob Bresnahan opposes law that brought down prescription drug costs

Rob Bresnahan came out against the Inflation Reduction Act’s healthcare reforms even though they benefit millions of Pennsylvania residents. 

The Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act recently celebrated its two year anniversary since being enacted into law and during that time, millions of Pennsylvanians have benefited from the bill. 

In Pennsylvania, the bill lowered prescription drug prices for over 2.3 million seniors, capped insulin at $35 per month for 80,000 seniors and helped an additional 76,000 residents keep their healthcare coverage by offering subsidies through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

However, this hasn’t stopped Rob Bresnahan, a Republican running against Congressman Matt Cartwrtight (D-Luzerne), from opposing some of the IRA’s most popular benefits for seniors. 

“There are more effective ways to reduce drug prices than Congressman Cartwright’s choice to vote for a massive government spending bill that has hampered our economy and contributed to rising costs on everything from food to gas,” Bresnahan told the Times Tribune in a statement last week. 

Bresnahan’s comments came after an event Cartwright held at a Pittston pharmacy celebrating the IRA’s two-year anniversary last week. 

During the event, Joe Albert, who opened the pharmacy 13 years ago, explained how he witnessed first-hand the effects high prescription drug prices and insulin prices have on seniors. 

“I’ve seen how it hurts people in our community when prescription drugs are too expensive,” Albert said. 

“So many patients walked through my doors and couldn’t believe how pricey their prescriptions were. Before the Inflation Reduction Act, many seniors were asked to pay hundreds of dollars up front for their monthly dose of insulin — that’s a huge burden for everyone but especially for seniors who saw the prices keep rising while their Social Security and savings couldn’t keep up. That’s why too many patients have rationed their medicine and ended up with serious health complications.” 

 A polling survey released by Navigator Research last April found that the IRA healthcare policies are wildly popular among most Americans. According to the polling, over 87% of Americans support capping insulin for seniors at $35 per month and giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices.  

“I was proud to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act, to cap prescription drug prices for northeastern Pennsylvanians,” Cartwright said in a statement.

“This law is our best tool to fight back against Big Pharma’s price gouging. It should set off real alarm bells when someone opposes it. My opponent told us that he wants to move us backwards, so Big Pharma can make record profits while seniors cut their pills in half.”

“The choice voters face is clear. I want your drugs to be cheaper – he doesn’t. I fight for you – and he won’t.”