As Chair of Senate Health Committee, Murray wrote and passed a new law to ban surprise medical bills; played leading role in passing historic legislation to lower prescription drug costs and cap insulin costs for Medicare patients
Senator Murray’s No Surprises Act expanded protections for more than 2 million people in Washington state — and is projected to prevent more than 12 million surprise medical bills this year alone.
ICYMI: Senator Murray joins health care advocates for campaign event on work to lower prescription drug costs
***Watch new TV ad HERE**
(Seattle, WA) —Today, the People for Patty Murray Campaign launched a new TV ad about Senator Murray’s record of lowering health care costs — from the legislation she wrote to ban surprise medical bills, which was signed into law by former President Trump, to the legislation that lowered the cost of prescription drugs and capped insulin at $35 dollars a month for people on Medicare, which was signed into law by President Biden.
The spot features a Yakima resident, Deb, sharing her story about receiving a huge medical bill after an emergency room visit — and how, after Deb reached out to her office, Patty Murray passed legislation, which was signed into law in 2020, to help people across the country avoid surprise medical bills.
“After a visit to the emergency room, I was shocked by the bill. I called Patty Murray and she got to work,” Deb says. The spot cuts to Patty Murray, saying direct-to-camera, “I worked with Democrats and Republicans to ban surprise medical bills to protect the people of our state.”
“Patty also passed legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs, including capping insulin at $35 dollars a month,” Deb continues. Murray closes out the ad, saying, “I’m Patty Murray, and I approve this message to lower costs for Washington families.”
Senator Murray, who Chairs the Senate Health Committee, wrote the No Surprises Act to ban surprise medical bills — and got the legislation signed into law under the Trump Administration. While Washington state took action against surprise medical bills, the state law could only extend to state-regulated plans and did not cover the estimated 2 million individuals and families who get their health insurance through a large employer. Senator Murray’s No Surprises Act expanded those protections for more than 2 million people in Washington state — and is projected to prevent more than 12 million surprise medical bills this year alone.
Senator Murray also helped lead Senate Democrats in drafting the prescription drug provisions and health care tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan. The Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs for seniors, which will bring down costs for patients and generate enormous savings for taxpayers. The law will also cap Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs at $2,000 a year, cap their insulin costs at $35 a month, and cap price increases on their prescriptions at the rate of inflation so that drug makers cannot jack up prices to juice their own profits — helping the more than 1.4 million Medicare recipients in Washington state save money on their prescriptions.
The Inflation Reduction Act also extends — for three full years — the health care tax credits Senator Murray championed in the American Rescue Plan, which have saved millions of Americans thousands of dollars on health care, spurred record enrollment on the health exchanges, and helped bring our nation’s uninsured rate to an all-time low. In Washington, thanks to the tax credits, more than 60,000 new people signed up for health care coverage last year, two in five found coverage for less than $100 a month, and 40,000 Washingtonians were eligible for coverage that cost less than $10 a month.
Senator Murray’s opponent, MAGA Republican Tiffany Smiley, has strongly opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, and indicated she would vote to repeal it. Smiley has also stated publicly that she supports Senate Republican Campaign Chair Rick Scott’s policy agenda that, according to a wide range of reporting, would end Medicare and Social Security as we know it. Smiley frequently touts the support she has received from Rick Scott, and has promised her donors she will “always be a rock-solid conservative vote.”
###