Network Director

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, a broad piece of legislation with significant ramifications for inflation, climate change, and healthcare pricing, was officially passed through Congress on August 12th and signed into law on August 16th. 

Regarding healthcare, this progressive bill allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Additionally, Medicare now caps drug costs for seniors to $2,000 per year and insulin to $35 per month. The IRA also extends ACA subsidies beyond 2022 and through 2025, thus precluding premium increases for over 10 million people and the loss of insurance coverage for an additional 3 million people. Of course, these changes are not without downsides. Drug price caps are bound to reduce pharmaceutical companies’ revenue, disrupting the health economy. Extending ACA subsidies will increase government spending. Nevertheless, we believe the benefits of these changes outweigh the financial costs they bring.

Many of the IRA’s political dimensions are outside of National APAMSA’s scope. However, insofar as this bill relates to healthcare, we applaud its passage as a step forward in promoting healthcare access and affordability (see our Policy Compendium Resolution 10.001). As valuable for healthcare professionals to be committed to caring for underserved communities, we recognize there are limitations when patients cannot afford the care they need. We are thus excited to see new legislation continue to advance the health of our communities and the ability of our healthcare professionals to care for those in need. 

National APAMSA also looks future-ward to what work remains for us to accomplish. Although the IRA capped insulin prices to $35 for Medicare enrollees, it failed to extend that limit to all private insurance companies. Moreover, there are still 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid up to the 138% of the federal poverty level, thereby denying 3.7 million people healthcare coverage. The AANHPI community would see a roughly 25% reduction in uninsurance if these states were to expand their Medicaid coverage. We urge our policymakers to rectify these shortcomings and further protect the health of our communities through legislation.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published an amicus brief on July 29, 2022, for the trials Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admission v. University of North Carolina. These trials, which have examined the constitutionality of the consideration of racial and ethnic identities in the higher education admissions process, are due to appear before the Supreme Court this upcoming cycle. 

National APAMSA has joined the AAMC in submitting its amicus brief, upholding the importance of affirmative action in these admissions processes. As affirmed in our policy compendium (Resolution 40.003) and in a 2019 joint statement with several other medical student organizations, APAMSA believes it is integral to the health of our communities and the welfare of the medical profession that there is racial and ethnic diversity within the physician workforce. 

Health disparities are rampant along racial and ethnic lines, and a diverse healthcare workforce helps our communities receive the care they need. As the amicus brief notes, the overruling of Supreme Court precedent defending affirmative action will likely dramatically decrease the number of racial and ethnic minorities in medical schools across the country. In light of the broader nuances surrounding each applicant and their experiences, a failure to consider these factors would undoubtedly hinder efforts to recruit capable and meritorious applicants of diverse backgrounds to medical schools. 

National APAMSA urges the Supreme Court to uphold its longstanding precedent of defending affirmative action. We believe that it is vital toward the well-being of our diverse communities and equity of our admissions processes.

Click here to read the amicus brief in full.