Folks living with Type 1 diabetes and some people with Type 2 diabetes require daily insulin injections as part of their treatment. The cost of insulin per patient has nearly doubled in the last couple of years with an astonishing average annual cost of $5,700 per patient.
In fact, one in four individuals with diabetes (both those with and without health insurance) have said they have rationed or skipped taking insulin due to cost… which can cause medical complications and be life-threatening.
The federal government hasn’t done much to make it more affordable. They (FDA) did announced a new policies to increase competition in the insulin market, but that hasn’t done much.
Some state legislatures have moved forward to make it more affordable. For example, Colorado recently enacted H.B. 19-1216, which will cap the co-pay for a 30-day supply of insulin at $100 effective Jan. 1, 2020.
Oregon enacted SB 9 which will allow pharmacists to prescribe and dispense emergency refills of insulin to people with a previous prescription.
A New York bill, introduced this week would allow pharmacists to dispense emergency insulin and related supplies in a similar manner.
The Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin legislatures have introduced similar bills each of which would cap the out-of-pocket cost for a 30-day supply of insulin at $100 (none have yet been enacted as far as I can tell though).
Will Arizona be the next state to implement interventions to make insulin more affordable?
