Lois Jason fought for unionization at Yale and is now fighting for medical marijuana Medicare coverage.
Only medical marijuana helps Towers resident Lois Jason’s pain after spinal surgery — and that medication costs her $600 every six weeks.
It’s also not covered by Medicare because the state-permitted substance is still federally illegal.
“I think we have to bridge that gap in coverage,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro. “I promise you we’ll work on it.”
DeLauro with Towers President and CEO Keach-Longo
That exchange occurred Wednesday morning before about 75 seniors who had gathered in the dining room of the elderly living complex, the Towers at Tower Lane. They were on hand to hear the long-time representative — who is running for a 17th two-year term in Congress — tout the medical, economic. and other benefits for seniors that derive from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
DeLauro, chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, voted to pass the bill this summer. Although the 45-minute visit was billed as an informational press conference about the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s report about drug price savings, politics were very much in the room.
During this November’s general election, DeLauro is facing a a Republican challenger, political science professor Lesley DeNardis, whose father held the seat in the early 1980s and was the last Republican to do so. She is also facing challenges from Green Party candidate Justin Paglino and Independent Party candidate Amy Chai.
When 98-year-old Norman Feitelson congratulated DeLauro on her long service Wednesday and called her a “shoe-in,” that was the end of the discussion about the Third District race.
Yet politics, especially the tense upcoming national midterms, percolated throughout DeLauro’s presentation of the reductions to be expected in, for example, the price of prescription drugs, in the coming years.
Because the bill permits Medicare to negotiate drug prices “for the first time in history,” DeLauro said that the 116,000 residents in the district enrolled in Medicare Part D would have shaved $57 million off what they spent on drugs in 2020.
That particular change, however, doesn’t kick in until 2026. “I know people are disappointed by the timeline, but there is light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
Insulin savings, however, will be more immediate, beginning in 2023, with monthly copayments for insulin products capped at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries who use insulin; they number 7,500 in her district, DeLauro said.
And beginning next year, Medicare premiums will decline for the first time in years, saving $1,330 for the average enrollee, according to the press release.
Here’s a sampling of some other exchanges prompted by DeLauro’s well-received remarks:
“If the government is so concerned about the cost of drugs,” asked Jay Bard, whose “significant other” is a resident at the Towers, “why don’t they just ban (drug) advertising on TV. That’s all I see!”
“I have a bill for a moratorium (on pharmaceutical advertising) for three years,” DeLauro replied. “If you (go for on outright) ban, they (the Republicans) come back with free speech (objections). But I haven’t been able to advance it.”
When asked her prediction on the upcoming national mid-terms, DeLauro declared, “I am cautiously optimistic. I believe the Democrats can hold the House. The primary issue is the cost of living. It’s imperative to hold the House because the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) passed with all Democrats. No Republican votes. The key is voting.”
Eileen O'Donnell (left) who has just moved into the Towers, met Elaine Sands, at the DeLauro event. Both said they feel older politicians should give more thought to making way for younger people and ideas.
“What are we doing about Trump?” asked an anonymous voice from the back of the crowded room.
Describing in harrowing and illuminating detail (“I didn’t even know they had gas masks!”) her experience in being evacuated from the House on January 6, 2021, DeLauro said, “I believe there will be prosecutions. I don’t know if he’ll be indicted. I don’t know what they’ll do with Trump, but I do know he’s responsible for the greatest constitutional crisis in our history, for trying to overthrow the government.”
When another questioner queried DeLauro on inflation in food prices, she declared the remedy is to look at consolidation. “We have only four companies that control beef and pork prices. The longer term issue is we need to have more competition.”
That played out, she went on, with the crisis in availability of infant formula, also produced by only a small number of firms. “I’m going to introduce legislation against consolidation in the infant formula” area, she said.
At the end of the presentation, which was presided over by the Towers President and CEO Gus Keach-Longo, one of the residents, retired clown Michael Hankin, presented DeLauro with a festive green balloon animal, which he had specifically made for the occasion.
In other Towers news, Keach-Longo said the complex is soon to embark on a complete renovation of the downstairs of the main building, including the dining room and the kitchen. It will be a “display kitchen,” he said, where residents will be able to see and interact with the chef preparing their meal. “For people who don’t (any longer) cook their own meals, they’ll now be part of the process, and eat more!”
The renovation project, which is waiting for one more infusion of support, will cost $6 million.