Social Security and Medicare are promises to the American people. They are guarantees of a dignified and secure retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Seniors have paid into these initiatives with every paycheck, and we must honor these earned benefits. As your Representative, I will make sure that Social Security and Medicare are protected.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes major cost-saving provisions for Medicare recipients. Medicare will now be able to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. As a veteran, I know this works for the VA and it will now help bring down costs for our seniors. For seniors on Medicare Part D, annual prescription drug prices will be capped at $2,000, impacting 1.2 million New Jersey seniors. For the over 77,000 New Jerseyans on Medicare with diabetes, insulin will now be capped at $35 a month. I am proud to have secured these major wins for our residents.
Republican leaders like Senator Rick Scott have unveiled their national platform to raise taxes and undermine Social Security and Medicare. I will oppose any budget that proposes cutting Social Security and Medicare and I’ll also oppose all efforts to privatize Social Security and Medicare. These plans would benefit insurance companies and investment firms while cutting benefits for New Jersey seniors. I voted to pass legislation to prevent harmful cuts to Medicare reimbursements for healthcare providers in North Jersey. I am also a co-sponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act of 2021, which repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government.
We can still take meaningful steps in the near term to improve Medicare and lower costs, and I am working hard to achieve these goals. I support allowing individuals over 55 to buy into Medicare to help expand access to quality healthcare for more Americans. I also led bipartisan legislation in the House to codify access to telehealth services for Medicare recipients. We expanded access during the COVID-19 public health emergency and we need to ensure Medicare beneficiaries don’t lose access to these important services, which both reduce costs for individuals and improve access to crucial care.