Imagine living with an incurable disease. The only way to live a somewhat normal life with this disease is by injecting medicine into the body to help balance out the blood sugar levels. This medicine known as insulin is the only thing diabetics can rely on to stay alive. People with diabetes need insulin to survive, but the problem is not accessibility, it’s the cost.
The problem for most diabetics is the price of insulin per bottle. Between 2002 and 2013 the price of insulin tripled. USA Today asked the top 3 insulin brands the cost per bottle and the prices ranged anywhere from $200-$400 but doesn’t say if that’s with or without insurance. The rising cost of insulin across the nation have caused diabetics to either ration, skip, or refusing to take the medicine to begin with. People who are using insulin and then stop can eventually suffer from severe health problems. A study done by Yale researchers found that four people have died this year already from rationing their insulin because they couldn’t afford it.
If a diabetic isn’t taking the right amount of insulin it can cause life-threatening health issues. Complications like heart disease, stroke, amputation, kidney disease, blindness, and even death are all results of a diabetic not taking the proper dosage of insulin. Some diabetics are even opting to use an older version of insulin that’s cheaper, but not as effective. This cheaper insulin can be purchased over the counter but isn’t consistent and most don’t know how to control their bodies when using this cheaper insulin.
Everyday billions of people are suffering from diabetes. One-way states are working towards combatting these high insulin prices is by putting a copay cap on insulin. So far, there are eight states that are considering the Insulin Cap Bill in 2020. In Nebraska, Senator Bolz proposed a bill that would cap insulin prices at $100 for a one-month supply. In the state of Nebraska there are 174,000 people who are diagnosed with diabetes and every year 8,000 more are diagnosed.
The bill although seems to be moving in the right direction, only applies to people who have private insurance. People are looking at the bill with little enthusiasm. States have no power over the people who are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal healthcare programs. People without insurance are having to pay full price for insulin and most can’t afford it every month, so they resort to rationing or quitting the medicine all together. Families are concerned with how they are going to pay for their children’s insulin and what will happen to them. Others are concerned about what will happen once they are off their parents’ insurance.
Diabetics need insulin to survive. Insulin needs to be made affordable for all even if they don’t have insurance. The Insulin Copay Cap is a step in the right direction for insuring diabetics are able to afford the medicine they need to live, but it’s not enough unless it’s affordable for all diabetics. Diabetes isn’t a preventable or curable disease, so don’t make it impossible for them to afford the medicine they need to survive. Access to affordable medicine should be a right for everyone who needs it, not just for the privileged who can afford it.
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