The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Baltimore police say multiple people shot near Morgan State University

The university and officials have urged people to shelter in place.

The story is developing.. more updates later

BPD and MSU officials are asking concerned family members to avoid the campus area. They may report to the Safeway parking lot at 4401 Harford Road. A BPD Officer will be available at that location. pic.twitter.com/qu1PiREYBP

— Morgan State University (@MorganStateU) October 4, 2023

Tuesday, the Biden-Harris Administration took another major step towards lower health care costs for seniors and families and announced that all manufacturers of all ten drugs selected for negotiation have signed agreements to participate in the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. For decades, Big Pharma fought to block Medicare from directly negotiating lower drug prices for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries, while nearly three in ten Americans struggle to afford their medications because of cost. President Biden and Congressional Democrats finally beat Big Pharma and allowed Medicare to directly negotiate lower drug prices by passing the Inflation Reduction Act – despite zero Republicans voting in favor of the bill. 

In total, the 10 drugs selected for negotiation accounted for $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs for an estimated 9 million Medicare enrollees in 2022. These drugs are used to treat heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, cancers, blood clots, and other conditions.

Manufacturers participating in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program:

*Represents average out-of-pocket spending for enrollees not receiving Low Income Subsidy
Source: CMS (https://www.cms.gov/files/document/fact-sheet-medicare-selected-drug-negotiation-list-ipay-2026.pdf), HHS (https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/aspe-ira-drug-negotiation-fact-sheet)

In August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the first ten drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. The deadline for manufacturers of these drugs to notify CMS whether they were participating in the negotiation process was October 1^st, and the deadline to submit manufacturer-specific data to CMS was October 2^nd.

Any prices negotiated for the first set of drugs participating in the drug price negotiation program will go into effect in 2026. Over the next 4 years, Medicare will negotiate prices for up to 60 drugs covered under Medicare Part D and Part B, and up to an additional 20 drugs every year after that.

Continuing to Lower Prescription Drug Costs

Every day, millions of seniors are saving money on prescription drug costs because of the Biden Administration’s actions. People with Medicare are saving an average of $70 in out-of-pocket costs on vaccines like shingles and Tdap because President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act made recommended vaccines free for beneficiaries starting this past January. Nearly four million seniors and others on Medicare with diabetes had their insulin costs capped at $35 per month this past January, saving some seniors hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply. And some seniors taking drugs covered under Part B for which manufacturers have hiked prices faster than inflation are saving up to $618 in lower coinsurance this quarter thanks to the new Medicare inflation rebates.

People with Medicare will continue to see their prescription drug costs go down as more provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act go into effect in the coming years. Medicare Part D enrollees will no longer pay 5% co-insurance when they reach the catastrophic phase of their benefit starting in 2024. Nearly 19 million seniors and other Medicare Part D enrollees are projected to save $400 per year on prescription drugs when the out-of-pocket cap drops to $2,000 in 2025, and 1.9 million enrollees with the highest drug costs will save an average of $2,500 per year. And, the prices negotiated for the high-spend drugs selected in August will go into effect in 2026.

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Free Discount Card Enables Consumers To Receive Savings on Certain Prescription Drugs

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Comptroller Sean Scanlon announced that effective today, Connecticut residents can now enroll in a newly launched program enabling them to receive a discount card that can be presented at pharmacies to receive savings on certain medication.

The discount card is provided through ArrayRx, a multistate consortium Connecticut recently joined that has a goal of providing accessible pharmacy solutions for state partners. Other participating states include Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The multistate consortium uses the leverage of bulk purchasing to offer up to 80% savings on generic prescription drugs and 20% savings on name-brand prescription drugs.

To receive a discount card, Connecticut residents must apply online at arrayrxcard.com. A valid physical Connecticut address and e-mail address are required to enroll. The card is provided to consumers digitally via e-mail and can be downloaded to smartphone wallets. There is no cost to receive a discount card, and there are no age or income restrictions.

Authorization for Connecticut to join the partnership was established by a provision of Governor Lamont’s health care affordability bill, which was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law earlier this year (Public Act 23-171). The program is administered by the Office of the State Comptroller.

“Obtaining this discount card is a way that consumers can save some money on medications they need to stay healthy,” Governor Lamont said. “I encourage all Connecticut residents to sign up for a discount card and use it at the pharmacy.”

“Affording prescription drugs is a significant obstacle many Connecticut residents are facing at a time when costs are rising and insurance covers less than it used to,” Comptroller Scanlon said. “Governor Lamont and I are working hard to rein in high healthcare costs, and the ArrayRx card is a free and secure tool all residents can use to save at their local pharmacy. Regardless of their health insurance status, I urge all Connecticut residents to take advantage of this free program.”

Anyone can visit arrayrxcard.com to search for their prescription and see the cost at local pharmacies, even before signing up. Some examples of potential savings include:

For more information on how the ArrayRx discount card works, including a list of frequently asked questions and a drug price lookup tool, visit arrayrxcard.com.

Twitter: @GovNedLamont

Facebook: Office of Governor Ned Lamont

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Free event presented by  Elm City Empire

Why do it matters !!!\

Preserving Kensington Playground: Why It Matters

Tonight, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hardworking Americans. This bill ensures that active-duty troops will continue to get paid, travelers will be spared airport delays, millions of women and children will continue to have access to vital nutrition assistance, and so much more. This is good news for the American people.
 
But I want to be clear: we should never have been in this position in the first place. Just a few months ago, Speaker McCarthy and I reached a budget agreement to avoid precisely this type of manufactured crisis. For weeks, extreme House Republicans tried to walk away from that deal by demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans. They failed.
 
While the Speaker and the overwhelming majority of Congress have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine, there is no new funding in this agreement to continue that support. We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted. I fully expect the Speaker will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment.

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