Congresswoman Summer Lee and HHS Secretary Becerra Visit Squirrel Hill Health Center to Highlight FQHCs and Discuss Lowering Prescription Drug Costs

Jul 12, 2024
Medicare + Social Security
Press

**For Immediate Release**

Kyla Gill, Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov 

Vaibhav Vijay, Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov 

Congresswoman Summer Lee and HHS Secretary Becerra Visit Squirrel Hill Health Center to Highlight FQHCs and Discuss Lowering Prescription Drug Costs

PITTSBURGH, PA – July 12, 2024 – Today Congresswoman Summer Lee joined Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra  and local health stakeholders for a visit to Squirrel Hill Health Center. This visit underscored the vital role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in providing accessible and affordable healthcare, and advocated for the reduction of prescription drug prices.

The visit began with a warm welcome from Squirrel Hill Health Center’s CEO, Susan Kalson, along with Region III Director Melissa Herd and Congresswoman Summer Lee. Secretary Becerra and Congresswoman Summer Lee then engaged in a brief meet and greet with the center’s leadership and staff, followed by a listening session where key issues regarding healthcare access and affordability were discussed.

During the listening session, the staff of Squirrel Hill Health Center shared powerful patient stories that highlighted the center’s impact on the community. Secretary Becerra, Congresswoman Lee, and other stakeholders emphasized the importance of FQHCs in delivering comprehensive health services to underserved populations.

(Download Photo Here)

Congresswoman Lee said, “Today’s visit highlights the critical role that Federally Qualified Health Centers like Squirrel Hill Health Center play in our community. These centers are lifelines for our families, our seniors, and our children, providing essential healthcare services to those who need it most, regardless of their ability to pay. By lowering prescription drug costs, we can relieve the financial burden on parents who are trying to afford medication for their children, on seniors who are struggling with fixed incomes, and on every individual who has had to choose between their health and their bills. I am committed to continuing this fight in Congress and advocating for policies that prioritize the health and well-being of every person in our community.”

Key Discussions:

  • The impact of high prescription drug prices on patients and the need for legislative measures to make medications more affordable.
  • The benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, including a $35/month cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries, a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket costs in Medicare Part D, and enhanced subsidies for Marketplace plans.
  • The vital role of FQHCs in providing primary care services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, and the need for continued federal support to expand these services.

Background:

Congresswoman Lee is a cosponsor of the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act, which builds on the drug pricing provisions included in the IRA. Specifically, the bill would:

  • Strengthen the drug price negotiation program to deliver more savings to the American people by increasing the annual number of prescription drugs selected for negotiation from 20 to 50.
  • Extend the drug price negotiation program to all Americans with private coverage. This includes over 164 million individuals  who get health coverage through their jobs and more than 16 million individuals with Marketplace coverage.
  • Stop drug companies from raising prices faster than inflation by ensuring that the inflation rebates enacted under the IRA also apply to individuals covered by private health plans. Extending the inflation rebates to privately-covered American workers can save as much as $40 billion over the next decade alone; 

Congresswoman Lee is also a proud cosponsor of the Medicare for All Act. This legislation aims to move to a single-payer system, which is the best solution to lower drug prices and increase health equity and access. Key provisions of this bill include:

  • Providing comprehensive healthcare coverage, including all primary care, hospital and outpatient services, dental, vision, audiology, women’s reproductive health services, including maternity and newborn care, and long-term services and supports.
  • Eliminating private insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles.
  • Authorizing Medicare to negotiate all drug prices and permitting Medicare to issue compulsory licenses to allow generic production if a pharmaceutical company refuses to negotiate a reasonable price.

Additionally, Congresswoman Lee is a co-lead of the Green New Deal for Health Act, which would invest $130 billion over five years in community health centers, among other measures.

About Squirrel Hill Health Center: Squirrel Hill Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary care services to medically underserved areas and populations. The center offers comprehensive health services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, aiming to improve community health and well-being.


Since taking office in January 2023, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1.85 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 2,300 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.

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