The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services just published the final prices for the first 10 drugs selected for price controls under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The news provides an opportunity for Republicans -- who normally loathe talking about health care -- to go on the attack against the IRA and other disastrous Democrat healthcare policies.
Republicans got hammered in the 2018 midterms over their failed effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. Ever since, the GOP concluded that Democrats had an advantage on health care and ceded the issue to focus on more favorable topics like inflation and immigration.
But contrary to the conventional wisdom, Republican candidates don't need to shy away from healthcare debates -- especially not as they campaign against Kamala Harris, who champions the IRA and has supported even more extreme policies like Medicare for All.
Our recent polling shows that Republicans can go head-to-head with Democrats on health care -- and win. They just need to explain to voters how policies like the IRA are actually driving inflation, and how GOP proposals can bring down costs and improve the quality of care.
Most Americans say health care has become more expensive under the Biden-Harris administration, and two in three voters feel the IRA hasn't helped them at all. Close to 60% say health insurance has become more expensive, and half of voters report paying more out of pocket for prescription drugs than they did four years ago.
They're right. Out-of-pocket costs keep rising. And so do premiums, both for people with private insurance and for seniors on Medicare. In fact, because of the IRA, premiums for the average Medicare drug plan soared 21% this year. Even bigger increases are expected next year.
The number of prescription drug plans available to seniors has also declined 25% since 2020, largely as a result of the IRA. Those plans offer fewer pharmacy options, on average. And the health insurers that administer Medicare drug plans are increasing their use of "prior authorization" and other hurdles that restrict seniors' access to treatments.
President Obama infamously lied that "if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan." He was speaking about Obamacare -- but the statement is just as false when it comes to his vice president's signature legislation.
Even the IRA's drug price controls, which are nominally popular, lose most of their support once people learn the consequences. Two in three Americans oppose price controls if they result in doctors being unable to prescribe the medicines patients need -- something that's already happening for patients whose previous Part D plans have been discontinued and who must now switch to new plans that don't always cover the same medications.
The IRA also diverts Medicare funding to green energy programs Yet eight in 10 voters believe Medicare savings should be used to make drugs more accessible and affordable for patients, not to create new and completely unrelated government programs and subsidies.
Americans' frustration with the IRA offers the GOP a unique opportunity to win voters' support by attacking the law head on -- and showing how their own solutions could lower costs by putting patients and doctors in charge, instead of the government and insurance company bureaucrats favored by Harris.
And the timing is ideal. The Biden-Harris administration just announced the prices of the first drugs subject to price controls, so the law will be fresh in voters' minds in the weeks ahead of the election.
Voters view the lack of drug pricing transparency as a major problem. According to our polling data, 85% of voters favor measures to strengthen price transparency requirements in health care, which is exactly what bills like the Transparent PRICE Act from Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) would do.
Americans are likewise sick of the supply-chain middlemen who intentionally steer patients towards more expensive medicines. Nearly eight in 10 Americans believe cutting out middlemen would make prescription drugs more affordable. Republicans could highlight bills like the Pharmacy Benefits Manager Accountability Act, sponsored by Congressmen Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY).
In general, voters believe more competition -- not more government -- is the best way to lower out-of-pocket spending. This includes overwhelming support for regulatory reforms that bring more generic medicines to market, thereby deflating the cost of drugs while still preserving access to innovative treatments, and pricing medicines that have been on the market for over 13 years but don't face major competition as if they're generics. These solutions are simple and result in smaller government and significant savings.
Kamala Harris and the Democrats are vulnerable on health care. And Republican solutions are growing in popularity. The GOP need not hide from the issue. Instead, it should attack the IRA head on and promote free-market solutions that help patients.
Joe DeSantis is Chief Strategy Officer at Gingrich 360 and directs America's New Majority Project, Gingrich 360's polling and public opinion research operation.
