April 04, 2022

Alliance Praises House Passage of Legislation to Reduce the Price of Insulin

The United States House of Representatives passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act, H.R. 6833, by a vote of 232-193 on March 31, capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month for all Medicare beneficiaries and many other Americans of all ages who need the drug to manage their diabetes.

“We applaud the House of Representatives for passing this important legislation, which will provide real relief for millions of patients whose health depends on insulin, if the Senate acts,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance.

“Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, and this is especially true with insulin. Insulin costs seven times more here than it does in other countries,” he continued.

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

“Retirees welcome all proposals that bring relief to people facing skyrocketing prescription drug costs but capping insulin prices is not enough,” added Executive Director Fiesta. “We still need to allow Medicare to require drug corporations to negotiate lower prices and provide relief to seniors at the pharmacy counter. The 4.4 million members of the Alliance urge the members of the United States Senate to follow suit and pass similar legislation.”

Proposals to lower what people pay out-of-pocket for drugs tops the public’s list of health care priorities for Congress, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. A majority of the public (61%) say limiting how much drug companies can increase the price of prescription drugs each year to not surpass the rate of inflation should be a “top priority” for Congress.