American Lung Association: Inflation Reduction Act Will Improve Lung Health

Today, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. The American Lung Association’s National President and CEO, Harold Wimmer, issued the following statement in response to this new law that will benefit public health:

“The Inflation Reduction Act is a landmark law that will have dramatic benefits for the health of our nation. This new law comes at a time when lung health is more important than ever. The nation is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and millions of Americans are at risk of losing access to quality and affordable healthcare coverage. Additionally, intense wildfires, record-breaking heat, extreme flooding and worsened air quality, all fueled by climate change, are impacting the country.

“The law will ensure quality and affordable healthcare for millions. It extends the enhanced advance premium tax credits (APTCs) for three years, which prevents 3.4 million individuals from losing their healthcare coverage and more than 10 million people from seeing their premiums rise. The law also reduces out-of-pocket medication costs for Medicare beneficiaries. It also improves coverage of and removes financial barriers to recommended vaccines for Medicare and standard Medicaid enrollees.

“Investments in the Inflation Reduction Act provide tax credits to spur the development and implementation of clean energy technology and incentivize the adoption of electric vehicles, buses and trucks. The law will also hold oil and gas operators responsible for methane leaks and invest billions in cleaning up pollution in communities to further environmental justice.

“The American Lung Association thanks the White House and Congress for their tireless work to get this landmark legislation passed.

“This bill is a major step forward, but there is still work to do. Lawmakers missed an important opportunity to help the 2.2 million individuals who cannot access quality, affordable healthcare coverage because they live in states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs. The law also contains some investments in polluting sources of energy. The Lung Association will continue to work at the federal and state levels to close the Medicaid coverage gap and further protect lung health from the impacts of polluting transportation and electricity.

“The Lung Association is committed to championing clean air and healthcare for all and will be engaged in the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. We also look forward to working with lawmakers on additional legislation to improve lung health for all Americans.”

For media interested in speaking with an expert, contact the American Lung Association at Jill.Dale@Lung.org or at 312-940-7001.