Last year, I voted in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act. This legislation provided avenues for bold, long-term investments that promised to address some of our nation's most pressing issues including: the high costs of health care and prescription drugs; the threat climate change poses to our environment and economy, and the deficit.

The Inflation Reduction Act has already had a measurable impact and now, we have great news for the tens of thousands of Northwest Washingtonians who rely on Medicare: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the first 10 prescription drugs covered under Medicare Part D selected for price negotiation — an option newly available thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

HHS's first negotiation list includes 10 drugs used by approximately 144,000 Medicare Part D enrollees in Washington state alone. These drugs are prescribed to treat some of the most common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, blood clots, and cancers.

Take a look at how this will impact Washingtonians:

• 58,000 Washington Medicare enrollees are prescribed Eliquis, a drug used to prevent and treat blood clots;
• 26,000 Washington enrollees take Jardiance to treat diabetes and heart failure;
• 27,000 Washington enrollees benefit from Xarelto to reduce risk for patients with coronary or peripheral artery disease and treat blood clots; and
• Roughly 33,000 enrollees will benefit from a price reduction for Januvia, Farxiga, Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, and Fiasp.

These negotiations will begin this year, and any lowered prices will take effect in 2026.

Thanks to this legislation, more people can focus on improving their health without worrying about how they will be able to afford essential prescription drugs — but this is only the beginning. Ensuring high-quality, affordable health care is essential. I will continue to support long-term investments to lower health care costs, break down barriers to equitable treatment, and improve overall quality of life for us all.

More soon,

Rick