Dear friend,

Welcome to this week’s edition of Let Me Be Blunt! As always, keep reading for updates on what I did this week in Delaware.

Lowering Health Care Costs for Delaware’s Seniors through the Inflation Reduction Act

I hosted a roundtable conversation this week at the MOT Senior Center to highlight how the transformational Inflation Reduction Act is helping lower health care costs for Delaware’s seniors. I was glad to have the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region III Acting Regional Director Melissa Herd and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Regional Administrator Sharon Graham present for the discussion. 

We were joined by several stakeholders, advocates, and patients (see the above photo!) who shared with us the on-the-ground impact of the Inflation Reduction Act’s three prescription drug cost-reducing provisions as well as what we need to do keep this momentum going. 

I’m thrilled that the Inflation Reduction Act is helping our seniors, but I know you must be thinking – what does this look like? It means improvements to Medicare Part D, allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of high-cost drugs, and the $35/month cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries. Here’s a quick breakdown of what we highlighted during the roundtable:

• Medicare Part D-covered adult vaccines including the shingles vaccine, Tetanus-Diphtheria-Whooping Cough vaccines, and Part D vaccines recommended by your doctor are now free to people with Medicare prescription drug coverage;
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will announce the first 10 drugs selected for negotiation by September 1, 2023. The first round of negotiations will occur during 2023 and 2024. The prices that are negotiated will be effective starting in 2026;
• People with Medicare drug coverage who take insulin will see their out-of-pocket costs capped at $35 for a month’s supply of each covered insulin product.

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings!

I met with Delaware organizations this week including RESULTS DE, the Everylife Foundation for Rare Diseases, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was great to connect with these groups about pressing issues like making the Child Tax Credit permanent, supporting Delawareans who are fighting rare diseases, and improving access to and diversifying clinical trials. 

Above: RESULTS DE

Above: Everylife Foundation for Rare Diseases

Above: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and her Deputy Legislative Director Amber Ray with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

Investing in Delaware’s Libraries

I was with Dr. Annie Norman, Delaware State Librarian, and community partners at the Wilmington Public Library this week to celebrate the expansion of the Statewide Telehealth Kiosk Program from its original three libraries in Sussex County to 13 libraries across Delaware. Now, teleservices are available at five libraries in Sussex County, one in Kent County, and seven in New Castle County. These teleservice kiosks provide a private space for Delawareans to have telehealth appointments, interview for a job, apply for housing, health, and veterans benefits, and more. I’m proud to have secured $275,000 in Community Project Funding last year for this expansion that is helping meet community needs across the First State. You can find more information on the announcement and a full list of kiosk locations here.  

Above: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Dr. Annie Norman, and Alta Porterfield, Statewide Social Innovator, in front of a teleservice kiosk.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: SUBMIT PACT ACT CLAIMS BY AUGUST 14TH FOR BACKDATED BENEFITS

The deadline to submit PACT Act claims for backdated benefits has been extended to this MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2023, BY 11:59 PM. 

While there’s no deadline to apply for PACT Act benefits, if you file your PACT Act claim—or submit your intent to file— by August 14 you may be eligible to receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022.

The PACT Act, which I proudly voted to pass last Congress, is perhaps the largest health care and benefits expansion in VA history. There have already been over 2,000 PACT Act claims made in Delaware. For more information or to file a claim, go to VA.gov/PACT.

This week, I toured the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Delaware in Wilmington. The RMHC Greater Delaware serves families with seriously ill children by providing a “home-away-from-home” that is close to Nemours Children’s Hospital and offers comfort, hope, and togetherness. It’s a place of respite for families going through tough times.

I was glad to have the opportunity to meet the incredible staff and volunteers who are working every day to provide impactful support and services to these kids and their families when they need it most. That’s why I’m highlighting them for this week’s Constituent Corner. 

Above: Jim Bailey, Volunteer, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Pam Cornforth, President/CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Delaware, and Ivey Helmick, Development Manager, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Delaware

Yours in service,

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester

Member of Congress

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