[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 86 (Monday, May 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING SSAB STEEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize SSAB Steel 
for taking a big step toward a more sustainable future with SSAB Zero 
steel.
  SSAB is the largest producer and supplier of steel plate in North 
America, and their facility in Muscatine, Iowa, in my district, is the 
first in the world to produce steel with zero emissions from the source 
without any credits or offsets.
  SSAB Zero steel is made using recycled steel--almost all steel in 
America is almost 98 percent recycled--and it is produced with biogas 
and renewable electricity. The rollout of zero-emission steel will 
continue through 2023 with the goal of having a wide range of products 
available to meet the increasing demand for environmentally friendly 
alternatives.
  SSAB Zero is an important step in their efforts to lead the steel 
industry to a decarbonized future by creating an emission-free value 
chain for their customers.
  We are proud to have such an innovative company pursuing climate-
neutral solutions in Iowa and wish them the very best as they continue 
to lead the industry to a cleaner, healthier future.


                PBMs Abusing Patient Assistance Programs

  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the HELP 
Copays Act.
  Too many patients are seeing large copays at the pharmacy counter 
because of pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, accumulator programs. PBMs 
are the middlemen in the distribution chain between drug manufacturers 
and pharmacies and were originally designed to help negotiate with 
manufacturers to lower costs for patients.
  Unfortunately, we are seeing patient assistance programs being abused 
by PBMs. Patients often receive drug coupons from manufacturers for 
high-cost medicines to reduce their out-of-pocket spending. However, 
PBMs, who are also the insurer in many cases, do not allow the coupon 
to apply toward the patient's deductible.
  This is not the proper role of insurance. Health benefits should be 
serving the patients, not their shareholders at the expense of 
patients.
  The HELP Copays Act would put an end to these abusive practices and 
improve patient access and affordability by requiring insurance plans 
to apply patient assistance toward their copay.
  There simply can't be a discussion on lowering healthcare costs for 
patients without addressing the role of middlemen. Banning the use of 
copay accumulators is a readymade policy to do just that.

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