Seniors

One of my top priorities in Congress is to deliver results for our seniors. According to the Ohio Department of Aging, Ohio has 2.5 million residents over 60, and our 60-plus population is growing more than 20 times faster than the overall population.  

Our seniors have been the backbone of our community and economy and deserve to retire with dignity and respect. As part of our plan to help our seniors in Northeast Ohio, I voted for the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2021 to improve prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage plans. 

As a coalition builder in Congress, I remain deeply committed to representing the values of our community to deliver for our seniors. 

Medicare 

Medicare serves as a lifeline for seniors and provides health insurance to over 60 million older Americans, and I am committed to protecting and expanding access to it. 

In the 117th Congress, I supported the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to deliver historic results for our nation’s seniors and expand access to Medicare. Ohio seniors are already seeing the results of this legislation through the lowering and capping of drug prices, and expanding access to key lifesaving services. 

The IRA will also save billions of dollars for seniors and people with disabilities by granting Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act provides free vaccines to adults in Medicare Part D and Medicaid.  

Additionally, the IRA will save hundreds of thousands of Ohioans from excessive drug costs by capping Medicare Beneficiary Out-Of-Pocket Costs in Part D at $2,000. This means that all 1.9 million Ohioans with Medicare Part D can rest assured knowing that their pharmacy costs will be capped. Further, this benefit is expected to save almost 62,000 Ohio Medicare beneficiaries on out-of-pocket drug costs above the cap. 

Starting January 1, 2023, the IRA capped out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, saving thousands of Ohioans on high-drug costs. Eli Lilly, a major insulin manufacturer, followed the IRA's lead by capping insulin at $35 monthly for everyone. 

In 2025, the IRA will continue to deliver for seniors by instituting a $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on Part D prescription drugs. And, for the first time, all 1.9 million Ohioans with Medicare Part D can rest assured that the cost of their medications will be capped. 

I look forward to building on this progress in the 118th Congress with more ways to lower Medicare costs for seniors.