Further HHS moves to protect consumers and lower health care costs

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced actions to protect consumers from junk health plans, surprise medical bills, and excess costs that lead to medical debt. These actions build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s effort to eliminate hidden fees in every sector of the economy and lower health care costs for American seniors and families.

Along with this, the HHS also released a new report projecting that nearly 19 million seniors will save around $400 per year on prescription drug costs when the $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug spending cap from the Inflation Reduction Act – President Biden’s historic lower cost prescription drug law – goes into effect in 2025.

The IRA legislation has been strongly opposed by the pharma industry, with lawsuits filed to limit the impact.