House Passes Bill to Limit Cost of Insulin to $35 a Month

Authored by nytimes.com and submitted by randalflagg

WASHINGTON — A bill to limit the cost of insulin to $35 a month for most Americans who depend on it passed the House on Thursday, raising Democrats’ hopes that the party could take at least one step toward fulfilling its promise of lowering drug costs.

The bill attracted unanimous support from Democrats who voted, as well as from 12 Republicans, making it a rare piece of bipartisan policy legislation.

To become law, the bill will need to attract at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. Some lawmakers involved in the effort have expressed optimism that such a coalition might be possible, but few Republican senators have publicly endorsed the bill yet. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, has been working with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, on a broader bill related to insulin prices.

The bill would have substantial benefits for many of the nearly 30 million Americans who live with diabetes. Insulin, a lifesaving drug that is typically taken daily, has grown increasingly expensive in recent years, and many diabetes patients ration their medicines or discontinue them because of the cost. About one in five Americans who take insulin would save money under the proposal, according to a recent analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

another_day_in on April 1st, 2022 at 03:29 UTC »

cost of production for a vial of human insulin is between $2.28 and $3.42, while the production cost for a vial of most analog insulins is between $3.69 and $6.16

https://www.businessinsider.com/insulin-prices-could-be-much-lower-and-drug-makers-would-still-make-healthy-profits-2018-9

LazzzyButtons on April 1st, 2022 at 00:37 UTC »

The House approved the bill Thursday by a vote of 232-193, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats in support. source

Think about that for just a second… Only 12 republicans in the house voted for this bill. Only 12!

Both parties are not the same

randalflagg on March 31st, 2022 at 23:49 UTC »

193 Republicans voted against it.