ATLANTA — The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff spoke with seniors in Gwinnett County Monday about efforts to lower drug costs and boost access to healthcare.
Secretary Xavier Becerra told 11Alive his visit to the metro Atlanta county was specifically about educating senior citizens on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Prescription Drug Medicare Program.
In 2022, he said more than 45,000 seniors in Georgia benefitted as a result of the legislation.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ossoff called this a "historic time for Georgia and all seniors."
Beccera added that, on average, a senior in Georgia will now save between $500 and $600 a year and that the new law will also provide free vaccines to seniors for illnesses like the flu or shingles.
However, he added that there has been some push back from prescription companies in passing the measure.
The two also spoke on the recent controversy and confusion surrounding abortion medication mifepristone.
For now, the drug remains available, despite recent rulings by federal judges in Texas and Washington seeking to ban it. Both Beccera and Ossoff expressed their opposition to those rulings, with Beccera in particular noting his confidence that the FDA's approval of the drug (back in 2000) would prevail in legal proceedings.
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