Arizonan Reacts to State of Union Address in Spanish, Urges Ciscomani to Support Expansion of Inflation Reduction Act’s Rx Price Negotiation

TUCSON — Southern Arizona resident Gaby Rodriguez-Clark released the following video in reaction to President Biden’s State of the Union address and encouraged Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who gave response to last year’s State of the Union in Spanish, to support the President’s agenda, including his call on Congress to expand key health care provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act:

Respuesta de Honest Arizona al Estado de la Unión con Gaby

During his speech last night, President Biden urged Congress to expand on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare negotiation provision so that Medicare can negotiate the cost of up to 500 additional prescription drugs. He also called on Congress to make his expansion of the Affordable Care Act cost-saving subsidies permanent.

Translation:

My name is Gaby Rodriguez-Clark and I live in Southern Arizona.

President Biden just laid out his vision for the US in his State of the Union address and he outlined how his leadership has already made such a difference in Arizona. Most notably, President Biden's leadership in passing the Inflation Reduction Act is a game-changer for Arizonans.

We need to expand on the Inflation Reduction Act that already does so much. The Inflation Reduction Act empowers Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, a move that directly benefits not only seniors but also individuals like me who have struggled with the rising costs of essential medications. The Inflation Reduction Act will cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 for the 1.1 million Arizona Medicare Part D beneficiaries, including the estimated 32,000 Arizonans who pay more than $2,000 a year for their prescriptions, and caps the out-of-pocket monthly cost of insulin at $35 for Medicare beneficiaries. Over 28,000 Arizona seniors who need insulin will save an estimated $510/year on insulin cost savings thanks to the $35 cap.
The law also ensures the IRS has the capacity to go after wealthy tax cheats who often use complicated tax filings to avoid paying their fair share. 

Unfortunately, our local Congressman Juan Ciscomani has come out against the Inflation Reduction Act and he's taken votes that would weaken the law's power. His first vote in Congress was to shield wealthy tax cheats from scrutiny, which he's shown time and time again is one of his top voting priorities in Congress.

Last night, the President asked Congress to expand the Inflation Reduction Act to keep lowering health care costs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for even more prescriptions and make permanent provisions that help Arizonans’ afford health insurance. I hope that Congressman Ciscomani will stand up for his constituents and support President Biden’s plan to keep lowering our health care costs. 

The President's agenda, including the CHIPS Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is already making such a difference in Arizona by creating jobs, lowering costs, and revitalizing American manufacturing. Thanks in large part to the new laws like these enacted by the President, American Battery Factory just broke ground here in southern Arizona and other high-tech companies are opening up shop in Arizona to take advantage of the clean energy boom. The Inflation Reduction Act, created over 14,000 jobs in Arizona, will save the average family $1,000 a year on their energy bills

President Biden's State of the Union address outlined a vision for Arizona and America's future. Congressman Juan Ciscomani needs to support the Inflation Reduction Act and support its expansion and start backing other policies that lower costs for his constituents.

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