SEATTLE — Sen. Patty Murray held a press conference Thursday in light of a cap on prescription drug costs for some on Medicare going into effect. 

Out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications will be capped at $2,000 a year for seniors on Medicare Part D. Part D is a voluntary program that pays for prescription drug medication that covers nearly 56 million Americans. 

The change was included in the Inflation Reduction Act that was passed in Congress in August of 2022.

The cap has decreased from $3,500 in 2024. 

At the press conference, Murray said the change will benefit nearly 70,000 seniors in Washington state and save them on average $1,900 a year. Nationwide, 4.5 million seniors are expected to benefit. The average savings is expected to increase over time. 

"As everyone knows, high drug prices cause other painful costs, like stress over how to make ends meet, or what bills they needed to skip in order to take a prescription, or whether to take the risk of rationing medication," Murray said. "Those are impossible choices that no one should ever have to make, but they're the reality for many people and many seniors."

Other provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act also take aim at drug costs for people with Medicare. The cost of insulin is capped at $35 a month and recommended vaccines like the flu, shingles, COVID-19 and RSV are free to everyone with Medicare Part D, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

New, lower drug prices for 10 commonly-used medications are expected to go into effect next January.