December 30, 2021
Pass Build Back Better for Seniors!
On November 19th, 2021, the House voted 220-213 to pass the Build Back Better Act, H.R. 5376, sending President Biden’s sweeping plan to invest in middle class families and expand long-awaited social programs to the U.S. Senate.
The much anticipated bill lingered in the Senate before Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) stated in an interview on Sunday, December 19th, exactly one month after it passed the House, that he would vote down the Build Back Better Act. With 50 Republican Senators already committed to vote it down, Senator Manchin’s vote would be the deciding factor in whether or not it passes.
Why does Build Back Better Matter for Seniors?
The bill contains numerous benefits for older Americans, including:
- $150 billion to expand home health care services for seniors and people with disabilities, along with increased wages and benefits for caregiving workers.
- Lower prescription drug prices for all Americans by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for some medicines.
- A $35 per-month limit on the cost of insulin under Medicare and a cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year.
- Guaranteed hearing benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, including coverage for new hearing aids every five years.
- Medicare coverage of all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — such as shingles, which would be covered at no cost.
- Extended Affordable Care Act subsidies, which would be especially helpful to older Americans who are not yet eligible for Medicare.
The big pharmaceutical corporations have spent more money lobbying this year than any other year in history, joining an army of big money interests that are dumping hundreds of millions of dollars to kill Build Back Better.
TAKE ACTION: Call (202) 224-3121 & encourage your Senators to keep pushing to pass the Build Back Better Act!
Then visit tinyurl.com/buildbackaction for a quick and easy way to contact your Senators electronically!