AARP Activists Celebrate New Rx Law at White House Ceremony

Don Barron never dreamed he would be sitting on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 13 listening to the president of the United States extol the virtues of a law that Barron fought for as a member of AARP’s Capitol Hill Strike Force.

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“I never thought I’d be here,” said Barron, a retired middle school principal. “I thought that was always for the bigwigs.” After four decades as an educator, Barron joined the strike force, a group of AARP volunteers who have worked for years to get legislation passed to lower the cost of prescription drugs and other measures important to the 50-plus population.

Barron said as he, other strike force members and AARP leaders, including CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, joined in the celebration, attendees came by and said "thank you." He and his fellow volunteers were hard to miss, dressed in their bright red AARP golf shirts. “We were very popular. A lot of people saying ‘thanks for your service.’ It was very touching,” said Barron.

“We would not be here today celebrating this monumental victory were it not for our dedicated AARP volunteers and members,” said Jenkins.  “By telling their heart-wrenching  stories of how high drug prices have devastated their household budgets and disrupted their lives, they put a face on this issue and made Congress understand that they had to act now to bring down the high cost of prescription drugs.”

AARP leaders also promised to keep up the fight. “Today we celebrated historic prescription drug pricing reforms that will lower the cost of life-saving medications for millions of older Americans," said Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. "While we took this moment to savor the victory and recognize the contributions of AARP’s volunteers, we will need their focus and energy in the weeks, months, and years to come because the fight is not over. Big Pharma won't stop trying to protect their profits, but rest assured we won’t back down.”

Victory over Big Pharma

More than 1,000 people gathered on the White House grounds to celebrate the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a law that will allow Medicare to negotiate the prices of some prescription drugs for the first time ever, will cap out-of-pocket Rx costs for Medicare Part D members, and will hold drugmakers accountable for price increases they levy over and above the rate of inflation. The measure also limits monthly out-of-pocket insulin charges to $35 for Medicare beneficiaries and expands the availability of financial help for enrollees with limited incomes.

President Joe Biden had already signed the legislation in August, just days after it cleared both houses of Congress. The White House celebration was designed to highlight the historic nature of the measure, which also includes landmark climate change and tax provisions.