LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — President Joe Biden stopped by UNLV Wednesday to discuss his plan to lower health care and prescription drug costs.
Biden opened his speech thanking healthcare workers in the room before stating, "almost 100,000 Nevadans get their healthcare from [the Affordable Care Act], and nearly 300,000 get their healthcare from expanded medicare."
Part of Biden's speech included details about the Inflation Reduction Act, including how drug companies that raise prices faster than inflation have to pay back the difference to medicare.
President Joe Biden touches Medicare, insulin costs, cancer treatment / medication costs. He says there is a lot more coming to cut prescription costs @KTNV pic.twitter.com/N9QT0zVwbB
— Joe Moeller (@joemoeller44) March 15, 2023
Biden also touched on price negotiations. He said that Medicare will now have the power, the same power the Department of Veterans Affairs has, to negotiate the price of drugs they are prescribing.
Closing statements from the hospitality building at UNLV included: "No one making $400,000 or less will see a penny in federal tax raised as long as I'm president of the United States of America," and "We are the United States of America and nothing is beyond our capacity if we work together — so let's work together. God bless you."
KTNV's Senior Reporter Joe Moeller spoke with Kimberly Grana about the president's speech. Grana is the Vice President of Operations at Valley Oaks Medical Group. She said, "I hope all the promises he made are ones he can deliver."
Grana continued, "there are low cost drug solutions now that aren't good enough...we have people surviving on fixed incomes."
The President's visit to the valley comes as reports show that Nevada has the highest rising costs for prescription drugs in the nation. The President arrived at Harry Reid International Airport on Tuesday evening ahead of his speech.
TRAFFIC: Prepare for lane closures Tuesday, Wednesday as President Biden visits Las Vegas
President Joe Biden entered, he says he is here to talk healthcare & thanks healthcare workers in the room. He says Americans deserve care they can afford. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/t8PVjY3UqL
— Joe Moeller (@joemoeller44) March 15, 2023
Earlier this month, the largest manufacturer of insulin in the US, Eli Lilly announced that diabetics will no longer pay more than $35 a month for the life-saving medication.
Channel 13 will be live-streaming the President's remarks at ktnv.com/live at 11:30 a.m.
