Rep. Schrier Joins President Biden for Event in Auburn on Lowering Costs for 8th District Families
AUBURN, WA – Today U.S. Representative Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) joined President Joe Biden for an event about lowering costs for American families at Green River College in Auburn. Several 8th District residents joined the Congresswoman and President to speak about how increasing health care and prescription drug costs have affected their families.
“As a doctor and someone with type 1 diabetes, I have seen first-hand how the costs of health care and prescription drugs have increased over the last few decades,” said Rep. Schrier. “In Congress I am working on ways to bring down costs of health care and other things like gas and groceries for American families so they can feel financially secure and optimistic about their future. It is an honor to have you, Mr. President in Washington’s 8th District today to hear about how you are working to give families just a little more breathing room.”
Rep. Schrier has supported legislation, including the American Rescue Plan, that capped out of pocket costs for health care premiums at 8.5% of the household’s income, saving the average 8th District family thousands of dollars a year. Rep. Schrier’s bill to speed up getting generic insulin to market was signed into law and is currently being implemented by the federal government. Last month she voted for a bill that will cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month.
“It was an incredible honor to be here today and listen to President Biden, our Governor, both of our Senators, and our very own representative, Kim Schrier, talking about the importance of bringing down the cost of prescription drugs. This is an issue that is so critical to our lives. Living with type 1 diabetes is a family affair,” said Elisa Graceffo, a Sammamish resident and mom to Juliana who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was four years old.
“Today told the story spot on. There shouldn’t be so many barriers to get people the health care they deserve. I’ve been saying the same thing as President Biden about insulin: the spirit of the researchers was that it was to be made accessible for everybody. In the U.S., that has not been the case and it’s time for that to change,” said Dr. Irl Hirsch, board-certified physician at the Endocrine and Diabetes Care Center at UWMC-Roosevelt.
And it’s not just health care costs. In February Rep. Schrier introduced a bill that would provide relief for families and workers at the pump by providing a federal gas tax holiday until the end of the year. If signed into law, this legislation would immediately bring down the price of gas by $.18 a gallon.
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Caption: U.S. Representative Kim Schrier speaking at an event in Auburn where she joined U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (L) and Patty Murray (R) and President Joe Biden to talk about lowering costs for American families.