A new survey finds that the cost of insulin is driving many diabetic Americans to go into debt, forcing them to ration medication as they struggle to pay for other living expenses.
The survey, conducted by CharityRX, found that 79% of respondents said insulin costs had created financial difficulty for them personally, or for those in their care – both with and without health insurance, The Hill reports. 80% of those surveyed said they had to take on credit card debt to afford the drug.
What’s more, on average, diabetic Americans take on $9,000 of debt to cover these costs.
That cost carries serious implications, as 83 percent of respondents indicated they’ve feared not being able to pay for living expenses — such as clothing, food and their rent or mortgage — due to high insulin costs.
The pressure to afford insulin even drove 63 percent of people to consider selling prized personal possessions and 32 percent to consider selling prescriptions or illicit drugs to get the money needed to buy insulin.
More than half of respondents, 62 percent, skipped and/or adjusted their insulin dosage to cut down on costs. -The Hill
“While the pandemic has made this situation worse, insulin rationing is a crisis that has been decades in the making. The price of insulin nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013, and the trend upward has made affording this life-saving medication even more challenging for millions of Americans living with diabetes,” the American Diabetes Association said in a statement.
According to CharityRX, the new legislation would carry a potential cost savings of 91% by capping insulin costs at $35, or 25% of a health insurance plan’s negotiated price – whichever is less.
ALL on BIDEN !!!!! Trump was Cutting the cost !!!!!!
TRUMP brought it down and as soon as Biden got in office HE RAISED IT UP
The ONLY reason this is a topic of discussion is because the highest % with diabetes by race is:
African Americans 13.2%
Hispanic 12.8%
Asians 9.0%,
Whites 7.6%.
The increasing incidence of diabetes through poor diet and lack of physical activity guarantees record profits for insulin related spending, even at lowered prices.
Grape Juice, Kool cigs, pork rinds and Colt 45 – whats wrong with that diet and the way the TV industry marketed those products?
There is no reason for insulin prices to be high other than corporate board rooms.
Corporate profitability hugely inflates the prices with fancy single use delivery devices and huge multimedia marketing campaigns, each company selling virtually the same, inexpensive to produce products that’ve been in easily affordable use for generations.
I guess you all know that Walmart has it’s own brand of insulin now? I don’t know how much it is, but it should be cheaper than brand names.