Alabama Medicare recipients have a new prescription drug cap, but for how long?

Proponents hope a new benefit for Alabamians on Medicare stays in effect. A two-thousand-dollar cap on prescription drug through Medicare Plan D went into effect on January first. The website health insurance dot org says over a million Alabamians are on the health plan for seniors and most use Part D for medications. The question now is will Donald Trump try to kill the cap? Leigh Purvis is public policy analyst for AARP focusing on prescriptions. She says the new cost cutting cap is crucial for Alabamians on the insurance plan for seniors.

“The reality of them a lot we’re facing really tough decisions between paying for their prescription drugs and paying for other important things like their food or their rent, and this new out of pocket cap is going to go a long way towards getting people out of those tough situations,” she said.

Trump did take action regarding Medicare during his blitz of executive actions after taking office. He repealed Biden directives intended to make it easier to enroll in Medicaid services, secure insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and lower prescription drug costs. The Trump action, however, does not actually repeal the Biden-era $35 monthly cap on insulin, Medicare’s $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs or Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug pricing. Those policies remain enforced by federal statutes passed by Congress. Purvis admits that may not mean the prescription cap is out of the woods.

“Congress is Congress, and it’s very difficult to say exactly what’s coming. But we do want everyone to remain mindful of the fact that this law is incredibly popular,” Purvis contends. “The provisions in it are incredibly popular, and it addresses concerns that older adults have had for decades in terms of being able to afford their prescription drugs.”

Trump also reportedly raised eyebrows by ordering a temporary stop to all communication and reports from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes for Health. Published reports also say the White House cut funding for research into diseases including cancer. Trump’s other health repealed actions included repealing multiple Biden orders and directives on COVID-19, withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO,) directing the White House Office of Management and Budget to stop future transfers of U.S. money to WHO and order the secretary of state to end negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. He also ordered the secretary of state and OMB director to identify “credible and transparent United States and international partners” to replace the U.S. relationship with WHO.