Klobuchar: Negotiating drug prices is a matter for Congress, not the courts

The bill's successful defense so far has encouraged supporters like Dawn Tuveson, who has been taking Eliquis since suffering a heart attack in March 2023. Tuveson, 70, of Woodbury said her out-of-pocket costs for the drug have more than doubled in the last year, making it unaffordable and forcing her to fill the prescription outside the U.S.

“No American or Minnesota resident should have to rely on an international pharmacy to get our medicines,” she said last month during a Klobuchar press conference in St. Paul.

Medicare drug price negotiations have become an issue seniors are watching as they consider how to save money at the pharmacy counter. The Inflation Reduction Act includes other measures to control drug spending, including a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket expenses that goes into effect next year for seniors with Medicare Part D insurance.

AARP estimates that between 2025 and 2029, 3 million to 4 million Part D plan enrollees nationwide — including about 40,050 people in Minnesota — could benefit from the new cap each year. The law limits insulin costs, Klobuchar said, and eliminates co-payments for recommended preventive vaccinations.

The federal government estimates that more than 27,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Minnesota who use insulin could save an average of $672 a year. The vaccine benefit is available to more than 900,000 state residents enrolled in Medicare Part D, according to the government.