President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris struck a campaign rally-like tone in Largo Thursday as they touted their administration’s latest step in lowering prescription drug prices.
The remarks were the pair’s first public event together since Biden ended his reelection campaign in July. Thursday’s visit came hours after the administration announced the first 10 drugs selected for price reductions as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
The 2022 bill gave Medicare the ability to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers in an effort to lower drug costs for Medicare patients. In 2022, Americans paid nearly three times more on average for prescription drugs than the price in comparable countries, according to the U.S. health and human services department.
The reductions announced Thursday include 38 to 79 percent price decreases for drugs that treat conditions such as diabetes and heart failure. Reductions will begin in 2026 for seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.
“No senior should have to choose between either filling their prescription or paying their rent,” Harris said Thursday.
Several prominent Maryland leaders — including Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin and Prince George’s County Executive and U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks — joined Biden and Harris at the event.
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Many attendees have been shaped by the “brokenness” of the healthcare system, Moore said. He added that there is fundamental work left to reform the system.
Moore said he shares a personal connection to addressing the healthcare system. His father died of a treatable virus hours after being discharged from the hospital when Moore was a child, he said.
“We have an obligation to ensure that our healthcare system never overlooks any of us,” Moore said.
The event inside the packed Prince George’s Community College Novak Field House was held against the backdrop of November’s presidential election.
While speakers primarily focused on prescription drug costs, some expressed support of Harris’ presidential campaign, including Cardin, who referenced Harris’s role as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate for the Inflation Reduction Act.
“She passed that because she’s president of the Senate,” Cardin said. “President is a good title for her.”
Moore followed a similar tone by referring to Harris as the 47th president. The first-term governor was met with “48” chants from the crowd — encouraging a future Moore presidential run.
Supporters from across Maryland adorned themselves in campaign outfits such as “Kamala is brat” T-shirts and Howard University merchandise in support of Harris’ alma mater. An estimated 2,300 people attended the speech at the main venue and overflow spaces, according to the White House.
The crowd loudly chanted “Thank you Joe” while Harris and Biden were on stage together.
During his speech, Biden revisited his history of working toward lower prescription drug costs. The president referenced legislation he co-sponsored in 1973 that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which failed to pass.
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Medicare patients are set to see more drug price reductions under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Fifteen Medicare part D drugs will be available for negotiation in 2025. Medicare will select 15 more part D and B drugs in 2026, and up to 20 additional part D and B drugs will be available every year after that.
Biden said he hopes to lower drug costs for all Americans — not just seniors and people with disabilities.
“Kamala and all of us in this room are going to continue to stand up against Big Pharma,” Biden said. “I’ve fought too damn hard to yield now.”
The Inflation Reduction Act passed without any Republican support in Congress and overcame a large lobbying campaign from the pharmaceutical industry.
Some Prince George’s County voters in attendance said they shared a personal connection with prescription drug costs.
Stephanie Ireland, a realtor who is an Upper Marlboro resident and Howard University alum, is asthmatic and on medication for high blood pressure. Some of her inhalers cost more than $200 a month, Ireland said.
While Ireland can afford her medicine, she said others make difficult choices between food, rent and medication.
“What’s the good of health care if you can’t afford to get the medications you need to survive?” said Ireland, who wore a Howard University T-shirt.
Largo resident Lynette Drake said her aging parents and other family members pay high prices for prescription drugs.
Some family members pay more for their prescriptions than monthly mortgage and rent payments, Drake said.
When Biden dropped out of the election and endorsed Harris, Drake said she saw an increase in momentum around the Democratic ticket.
Ireland said the administration did a “great job” in its choice to visit Prince George’s County. The area serves as an example of working-class people and is a “snapshot” of the country, she said.
Ireland emphasized that Harris has the experience to help both the county and the United States as the next president.
“She gets what the everyday struggles are, and I think she’s sincere about moving forward to really help everyday people,” Ireland said.
Harris is set to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to formally accept the Democratic nomination.
