By JAKE JOHNSON
PUBLISHED JUNE 1, 2022 1:30PM (EDT)
he Biden administration quietly announced last week that it will leave in place one of the largest-ever Medicare premium hikes for the remainder of 2022, despite federal health officials’ decision to restrict coverage of the expensive and potentially ineffective Alzheimer’s drug that drove the increase.
Progressive healthcare advocates responded with outrage to the administration’s Friday announcement, warning that it will inflict entirely avoidable financial pain on vulnerable seniors and hand the GOP an effective talking point heading into the November midterms.
“This is a terrible decision,” Linda Benesch, communications director of Social Security Works, told Common Dreams. “Seniors should never have been forced to pay inflated Medicare premiums for an ineffective, dangerous, and massively overpriced drug.”
“Not only is lowering Medicare premiums the right thing to do, it’s also a political necessity,” said Benesch. “Older voters are a key force in midterm elections. Keeping Medicare premiums needlessly high until after the election is a gift to Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans. Every Congressional Democrat who wants to keep their seat in November should join us in calling on the Biden administration to reverse this decision and lower Medicare premiums now!”