Arizona Democratic Party: Republicans Let Pharma Backers Jack Up Prices — While Attacking Medicare

PHOENIX, Arizona, Oct. 28 -- The Arizona Democratic Party issued the following news release:

With tacit permission from Washington Republicans, powerful pharmaceutical corporations are continuing to jack up prices without any significant consequences or accountability, even as they inflict direct harm on older Americans, according to the AARP, negatively impacting Medicare Part D enrollees, in particular. Washington Republicans have been complicit in their big pharma backers' price-gouging, all while attacking prescription drug coverage and pushing policies that could cause Arizona seniors to pay more for coverage, including:

* Blocking efforts to let Medicare negotiate lower costs with drug companies;

* Pushing multiple efforts to gut prescription drug coverage requirements and open up the Medicare Part D donut hole, and

* Even working to expand "junk" health care plans that let insurance companies get out of covering prescription drugs.

Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward has repeatedly pushed to end coverage protections extended under the Affordable Care Act -- including the ACA requirement that ensures coverage protections for Arizonans who have a pre-existing condition, and the provision that requires insurance companies to cover Essential Health Benefits like prescription drug coverage.

Currently, national Republicans and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich are waging a lawsuit to fully end those protections and reverse the health care law -- an effort that would also reopen and widen the Medicare Part D coverage gap, which would be devastating for Arizona seniors. Arizona Sen. Martha McSally has said it's not her "role" to oppose the lawsuit.

And as that suit remains ongoing, one of its most prominent backers, President Donald Trump, has floated a larger gutting of Medicare as a "second term project" -- a longtime goal of Republicans' corporate special interest backers that would be a punch in the gut for Arizona seniors and future retirees.

"Rather than stand up to their Big Pharma backers and fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs, Republicans are pushing for cuts to Medicare and expanding their insurance and pharma industry corporate backers' ability to write their own rules, while Arizona seniors and future retirees pay the price," said Matt Grodsky, Director of Communications for the Arizona Democratic Party.