Opinion: Biden-Harris continue to lower health care costs for Nevadans while Republicans threaten repeal

We stand before yet another crossroads for our health care. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris administration lowered health care costs for tens of millions of people. However, MAGA Republicans have continued their war on health care, vowing to rip away health care coverage, dismantle protections for pre-existing conditions, and throw our health care system into chaos. 

Like millions of other Americans, the Inflation Reduction Act has been a game-changer for me. Twelve years ago, my husband was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, and was prescribed Warfarin, a medication that cost us nothing. However, after a frightening incident last year that sent us to the ER, the doctor informed us of a more effective and safer medication for his condition—Xarelto. While we were relieved to hear about this better option, our relief quickly turned to worry when we learned about its high cost.

Faced with nearly $150 in additional expenses for this life-saving medication, my husband considered staying on his old prescription. But I refused to let that happen. Like every American, my husband deserves the best treatment available.

Just two weeks after he started taking Xarelto, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the list of ten drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations, and Xarelto was on that list. This isn’t just our story—this is a reality for many seniors on fixed incomes who will now have access to the medications they need at a price they can afford. This is why I and so many others are celebrating the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. 

And there is much to celebrate. 

Medicare is negotiating lower prices for the costliest drugs, including medications that treat conditions like diabetes, heart failure, blood clots, and autoimmune disorders. For people with Medicare, the law provides free recommended vaccines, penalizes drug companies that increase prices faster than inflation, and caps monthly insulin costs at $35. Starting next year, seniors’ drug costs are capped at $2,000 annually, while there was previously no limit on what they had to pay. This brings certainty and relief to seniors like us, knowing we will never pay more than $2,000 a year on prescriptions. 

President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats in Congress, such as Senator Jacky Rosen, took on big drug companies and won this decades-long fight. However, Project 2025, a dangerous policy roadmap for another Trump presidency developed by the Heritage Foundation, would undo all of the monumental progress that Democrats have made to lower costs. Not only did Republicans unanimously vote against the Inflation Reduction Act, but Trump and his MAGA allies, including MAGA Republican Sam Brown, are working behind the scenes to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, including all of the measures to lower prescription drug and health care costs. 

Project 2025 would move us backward by giving more tax breaks to drug and insurance companies, leaving hardworking families across the nation to foot the bill. Their radical health care agenda is no exception as they have vowed to raise prescription drug and premium costs and strip away health care from millions of Americans. And while Trump has already tried and failed to repeal the ACA, he is promising to do it again. If Trump and his allies get their way, 45 million Americans could lose coverage and nearly 20 million would pay higher premiums, while seniors on Medicare would pay more for their prescription drugs.

The 2024 election is shaping up to be another referendum on health care, and if Donald Trump wins, our benefits are undoubtedly on the chopping block. On the other hand, Vice President Harris wants to build upon what we’ve already done so that, no matter who you are or where you live, you can get the care you need.