Recognizing Ssab Steel

Floor Speech

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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

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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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