The American Diabetes Association® (ADA), the leading global diabetes research, advocacy, and education organization, applauds U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for introducing legislation today during a joint press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., which aims to make insulin more affordable for millions of Americans with diabetes who rely on the drug to live. The bipartisan Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act includes important reforms to reduce the price of insulin by incentivizing lower list prices and including limits on out-of-pocket costs for patients.
Today, more than 37 million Americans – about 11% of our nation – are living with diabetes and 8.4 million Americans rely on insulin to survive. Insulin costs 10 times more in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. And as many as 1 in 4 insulin users report rationing their insulin – skipping doses or taking less than they need, putting themselves at risk for serious and even deadly complications. In the diabetes community, which includes an outsized number of low-income Americans and for whom insulin means the difference between life and death, the rising cost of insulin is unsustainable. Consequently, the ADA has led the effort to establish insulin co-pay cap laws in 21 states and the District of Columbia, and has long advocated for reform of the prescription drug rebate system that inflates the cost of insulin and other prescription drugs.
"This legislation and leadership by Senators Shaheen and Collins addresses some of the root cost-drivers of insulin, making the drug more affordable for people with diabetes who are facing serious and expensive complications without access,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer for the ADA, who gave remarks about the impact of the high price of insulin at today’s press conference. “At the American Diabetes Association, we always stand for what is best for people with diabetes, and this legislation will ensure that millions of Americans pay less for their insulin.”
In just the last few weeks, more than 52,000 of our ADA advocates have weighed in with their representatives and senators in every state, urging support for these measures.
“We applaud the commitment of Senators Shaheen and Collins to finally make insulin affordable at a national level and we thank them for their leadership in legislation that includes important reforms to reduce the price of insulin by incentivizing lower list prices and include limits on out-of-pocket costs,” said Lisa Murdock, chief advocacy officer of the American Diabetes Association. “Critically, these provisions would help both the insured and the uninsured patient communities.”
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About the American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 81 years, the ADA has driven discovery and research to treat, manage, and prevent diabetes while working relentlessly for a cure. Through advocacy, program development, and education we aim to improve the quality of life for the over 133 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Spanish Facebook (Asociación Americana de la Diabetes), LinkedIn (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn), and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
