5 Things Inflation Reduction Act Will Do For PA Residents

PENNSYLVANIA — The Inflation Reduction Act, the massive climate change legislation passed in the U.S. Senate this week that also aims to provide drug and health insurance savings through taxing the richest corporations, is expected to pass through the U.S. House this Friday before President Joe Biden lends his pen to it.

The historic bill was championed by Pennsylvania's U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who fought for several of the provisions included in the final language.

"(This bill) will lower health care and energy costs for families while creating well-paying jobs to transition the U.S. to clean energy and tackle the climate crisis," Casey said. "It’s a fiscally responsible bill that will bring down our national debt by ensuring profitable corporations start paying their fair share, just as American families have been doing all along."

RELATED: Inflation Reduction Act: What Massive Climate Legislation Means For PA

Outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey voted against the bill's passage, and argued that itw as wasteful.

“To fund new ‘green’ corporate welfare and give Obamacare subsidies to wealthy Americans, this legislation forces short-sighted tax hikes on American businesses and imposes innovation-crippling price controls on life-saving medicines," Toomey said. "And contrary to the bill’s name, non-partisan analysts have confirmed that it does nothing to alleviate the inflation tax Americans are feeling every day."

Most of Pennsylvania's delegation to U.S. Congress plans to vote along party lines when the bill hits the floor.

The climate, tax and health care bill calls for $433 billion in new spending that Democrats say is more than offset by $739 billion in revenue, specifically:

• $313 billion from a 15 percent corporate minimum tax
• $288 billion from prescription drug pricing reform
• $124 billion from IRS tax enforcement reform
• $14 billion from the closure of the carried interest loophole

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised them “landmark legislation” for “lowering kitchen table costs, reducing the cost of Americans’ health care, creating millions of good-paying jobs and addressing the climate crisis.”

Republicans panned the measure as “reckless spending” that adds “fuel to the inflation fire that is burning through Americans’ paychecks.”

Inflation cooled in July with tumbling gas prices, but Americans continued to pay more for groceries, rent and other items, according to the government’s Consumer Price Index report released Wednesday.

Here are five things Pennsylvania residents need to know about the bill:

Time To Plug In?

Middle- and working-class consumers — those earning $150,000 or less a year (or $300,000 for joint filers) will be eligible for tax credits of up to $7,500 for qualified new “clean” vehicles made in North America. Consumer who earn $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers can also qualify for up to $4,000 in tax credits for buying used clean vehicles.

Among those qualifying for the maximum credit are vehicles made by General Motors and Tesla; the less efficient the vehicle, the lower the tax credit, NBC reported.

Tax Credits For ‘Clean’ Living

The legislation increases credits from 10 percent to 30 percent for installing Energy Star products in homes and nonbusiness properties. According to the Senate Finance Committee, such products include “solar electric, solar water heating, fuel cell, and small wind energy, and geothermal heat pumps.”

How much savings Americans would see depends on their investments in improving the energy efficiency of their homes. According to a summary from the Bipartisan Policy Center, they could claim $1,200 in tax credits annually, including $600 for energy-efficient windows and $500 for energy-efficient doors, but could claim up to $2,000 if their upgrades included biomass stoves and heat pumps.

Lower Drug Costs For Older Americans

Beginning in 2025, Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket drug expenses would be capped at $2,000. There’s no cap now, and the average Medicare recipient spent $5,460 on out-of-pocket costs in 2016, according to a study by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

Older Americans would also get recommended vaccines at no cost, including those for COVID-19 and shingles.

The legislation also caps monthly out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month for Medicare recipients. Senate Democrats tried to extend the cap to all Americans, but Republicans argued the Senate’s strict budget rules prohibited that, NBC News reported.

No Affordable Care Act Sticker Shock

The measure extends American Rescue Act funding through the end of 2025. Without it, the 13 million Americans who receive their health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace would have faced a sharp premium hike this fall.

The extra financial help is available to people who already are eligible for subsidized health plans on the ACA Marketplace. The legislation also expands ACA subsidies to middle-class wage earners who previously couldn’t afford health insurance, according to Kaiser Family Foundation.

More Neighborhood Investments

The legislation would funnel $60 billion in grants and tax credits to improve air quality monitoring, improve transportation, and invest in clean energy in poor and vulnerable communities.

It also specifically targets neighborhoods near industrial sites. For example, it provides $1 billion in grants to improve energy efficiency in affordable housing.

Environmental justice advocates say the measure falls short of what’s needed but addresses some of the most pressing problems.