Lower prescription drug prices will help thousands of Native Americans with Medicare

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From Levi Rickert

18 August 2024

Opinion. Thanks to a new agreement between the Biden-Harris administration and pharmaceutical companies announced by the White House on Thursday, thousands of Native American tribes will be able to benefit from cheaper prescription drugs in the future.

This agreement allows seniors who have Medicare insurance to reduce their prescription drug costs through the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2026.

In total, about 19 million seniors nationwide and other Medicare Plan D beneficiaries will save an average of $400 a year on prescription drugs when the out-of-pocket limit drops to $2,000 in 2025. In addition, 1.9 million enrollees with the highest drug costs will save an average of $2,500 a year. And the lower prices for the most expensive drugs announced Thursday will take effect in 2026.

The renegotiated prices are expected to save millions of seniors across the country and other Medicare beneficiaries $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the program's first year alone.

Medicines to be negotiated in 2026

1. Eliquisto prevent strokes and blood clots, from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer

2. Jardiancefor diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly

3. Xareltoto prevent strokes and blood clots, from Johnson & Johnson

4. Januviafor diabetes, from Merck

5. Farxigaagainst diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, from AstraZeneca

6. Entryagainst heart failure, from Novartis

7. Enbrelfor autoimmune diseases, from Amgen

8. Imbruvicafor blood cancer, from AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson

9. Stelarafor autoimmune diseases, from Johnson & Johnson

10. Fiasp And NovoLog Insulin products for diabetes from Novo Nordisk

Some of the medications on the list are used to treat diabetes patients.

All of this is good news for Indian Country, because American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest diabetes rate (14.7 percent) of any ethnic group in the United States. Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death among Native Americans throughout Indian Country.

This was not always the case among the indigenous peoples of what is now the United States of America.

Dr. Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy at Oklahoma State University, believes that income, food insecurity, access to physical activity, and funding of community resources are the main drivers of the diabetes epidemic among Indigenous people.

There is no doubt that the eating habits of Native Americans before Columbus were healthier than those in the United States today. Today's diet is full of foods that contain preservatives and sodium, as well as sugar products that contribute to diabetes.

On June 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report titled: Health insurance coverage and access to health care among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Current trends and key challengeswhich describes the disproportionate health care disparities faced by American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

“The American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population is disproportionately affected by certain health conditions, such as diabetes, and has higher death rates from liver disease, diabetes, chronic lower respiratory disease, suicide, and accidents compared to other Americans,” the report states. “In addition to limited access to health care, several other factors that impact health are more prevalent in many AI/AN communities than in the general U.S. population, such as poor infrastructure, lack of adequate sanitation, and lack of access to safe drinking water supplies. Historical trauma – the long-term intergenerational effects of colonization and historical cultural oppression of Indigenous peoples – also contributes to health disparities in AI/AN communities.”

The latest information from the American Community Survey shows that 10.2% of AI/AN were covered by Medicare during 2013-2017. Individuals receiving disability benefits are eligible for Medicare. About 4.5% of AI/AN with disabilities are under age 65 and eligible for Medicare.

The news announced by President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday will benefit tens of thousands of Native Americans who will benefit from the additional dollars saved.

Thayék gde nwéndëmen – We are all connected.

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About the author

Author: Levi RickertE-mail: This email address is protected from spambots. JavaScript must be enabled to view it!

Levi “Calm Before the Storm” Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded the Native Media Award for Best Column 2021 in the Print/Online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at [email protected].