Op-ed: How Congress can deliver healthcare affordability and mitigate Inflation Reduction Act disaster
By John Czwartacki and Joe Grogan
A little over a year into Trump’s second term, the economy is strong. Core inflation is down to the lowest point in years, and real earnings for the private sector are up: far outpacing inflation and putting money back in American workers’ pockets. Despite these wins, healthcare costs remain a significant concern for most Americans. Fortunately, new poll results show voters overwhelmingly back a simple path forward for lawmakers looking to address high prices and persistent, but fixable, issues in the healthcare system.
Nearly every American has been confronted with an outrageous healthcare cost. For many of us, it’s part of every healthcare experience we have. Much of this substantial expense is driven by large insurers, and the ironically named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
President Trump has taken some efforts to empower patients on the issue of prescription drug pricing, such as the launch of TrumpRx. However, Trump’s inheritance, the IRA, has proven more difficult to address. Recent surveys show that Americans have a strong appetite for reforms that will fix some of the law’s worst provisions, improve access, and lower costs.
Despite Democrat promises that the IRA would lower drug costs and improve American healthcare, it has done the exact opposite. By imposing price controls on Medicare Part D, the IRA effectively “broke” the program, reducing options and increasing premiums for beneficiaries relying on the prescription drug plans for their medication.
This doesn’t even factor in the longer-term catastrophic impact the IRA’s price “negotiations:” the predictable destruction of discoveries will have as innovators are forced to pull back on research and development needed to bring a new product to market. Since the passage of the IRA, 56 research programs and 26 drugs have been discontinued—and counting.
These negative impacts will only be compounded by an IRA provision that will slash Medicare Part B reimbursement rates, which beneficiaries rely on to access complex injections and infusions administered by healthcare providers. Medicare currently reimburses providers for drugs they administer in their offices at 106 percent of the drug’s Average Sales Price. For Part B drugs subjected to negotiation, Medicare will reimburse 106 percent of the drug’s Maximum Fair Price established with CMS. This represents a substantial cut. Providers rely on the funds from drug reimbursement to support their operations, particularly in rural and underserved communities. The decrease in reimbursement may force some to stop stocking key drugsthat patients depend on. In the worst case, they may be forced to sell their practices to larger hospital systems to survive or shut their doors altogether.
Unsurprisingly, voter opposition to this policy is overwhelming. Survivors for Solutions’ new survey, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, finds that nearly three in four respondents oppose the IRA provision that reduces Medicare Part B reimbursements and express significant concern about the impact these cuts will have.
An overwhelming majority of voters are concerned that the reimbursement cuts could reduce patient access to physician-administered prescription drugs, force doctors to stop offering treatments altogether, or even cause doctors to close practices or reduce services.
Luckily, Part B reimbursement cuts are fixable, and voter support for fixing these IRA provisions is as strong and broad as their concern for the consequences of not doing so. Voters give Congress a clear mandate (76% to 12%) to fix the problem by protecting doctors and clinics from the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare reimbursement cuts. The overwhelming support cuts across demographics, including over three in four Republicans, Democrats, and seniors.
The reforms in H.R. 4299 will improve overall healthcare affordability—a top priority for voters. Members of Congress looking to deliver a victory for their constituents in 2026 can have an easy win if they pass legislation that will improve American healthcare and make life more affordable.
In his State of the Union, Trump promised to always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Midterms are approaching fast. Lawmakers who want to listen to American voters and fulfill the commitment of the President should swiftly pass the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act of 2025 (H.R. 4299) to halt the harmful reimbursement cuts.
It’s not an all-out fix for the IRA, but it will begin to staunch the bleeding.