On Thursday morning, we learned that a number of popular and expensive prescription drugs will soon cost less under Medicare. The Biden administration announced that Medicare had concluded its initial negotiations with pharmaceutical companies with discounts ranging from 38 to 79 percent.

This is a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in 2023 and gave Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices. Patients taking 10 different drugs for common conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis will face lower costs starting in 2026, when the new prices take effect.

A new committee has also been set up in the state of Minnesota to reduce the cost of some medications. Jessica Intermill is one of the patient representatives on the committee’s advisory board. And she has testified before the state legislature about the impact of expensive rheumatoid arthritis treatments on her own life.

Together with MPR News presenter Cathy Wurzer, she talked about the impact of lower drug costs for people like her.

Use the audio player above to listen to the entire conversation.

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