S.146 Cap Insulin Prices Act and Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2023 Responding to Peer

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Hello,

I acknowledge your focus and analysis of the S.146 Cap Insulin Prices Act (S.146 -Cap Insulin Prices Act. (2023) that has been introduced to the Senate. This is a good choice as it will reduce the cost of insulin products by 25%. As you have noted, diabetes mellitus is a complex chronic condition requiring constant medication using insulin to manage blood sugar and reduce the risk of complications. It is also among the major chronic conditions affecting a majority of the US population today. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2020) notes that as of 2019, an estimated 37.3 million Americans of all ages, which represents 11.3% of the US population, were living with diabetes. Of concern is that out of this high number, only 28.7 million had been diagnosed and were engaged in the management of the condition, while over 8.5 million had not been diagnosed and were not receiving treatment or under any intervention.

Despite the large portion of the population living with diabetes, financial disparities make it hard for people from low socioeconomic status to access much-needed care, including access to insulin. Currently, the costs of insulin and deductibles for insurance are very high in the US, pushing most people to abandon their insurance plans or ration their insulin doses (Rajkumar, 2020). This risks the development of complications and even death. In this regard, I support the S.146 Act as it will make insulin affordable and accessible to a majority of the population. It will significantly improve the health of the population and the economic capacity of patients and their families, as the burden of disease will be greatly reduced.

References

Centers for Disease Control (CDC). (2020). National Diabetes Statistics Report 2020. Estimates of diabetes and its burden in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf

Rajkumar, S. V. (2020). The high cost of insulin in the United States: An urgent call to action. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 95(1), 22–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.11.013