Voters Support Capping Insulin Prices at $35 Per Month for All Americans
By Abby Springs
In the United States, the price of insulin has dramatically increased over the past decade: one unit of insulin in the US costs up to 800 percent more than in other developed nations, on average. For the millions of Americans living with diabetes who rely on insulin to survive, one month’s supply of insulin can cost as much as $1,000. One in four insulin-dependent diabetics report rationing the insulin they use, putting them at risk of heart disease, strokes, and ultimately death.
With hundreds of thousands of Americans struggling to afford such a critical, life-saving medication, insulin reform is one of the most urgent and impactful issues that Democrats can address ahead of midterm elections. Lowering the price of insulin now can save countless lives over the next decade.
To address the high costs of insulin, a bipartisan group of Senators have introduced the Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Life-saving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act, which would ensure that Americans with private insurance or Medicare pay no more than $35 per month for insulin.
Introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), the INSULIN Act is incredibly popular with voters across the political spectrum. In a Data for Progress poll of likely voters, 88 percent say they would support legislation to cap the price of insulin for insured individuals. Voters support the bill by a +80-point margin, including Democrats by +84 points, Independents by +77 points, and Republicans by +78 points.
While the INSULIN Act lowers the price of insulin for those who are insured, the bill does not qualify uninsured Americans for insulin caps. Even if the legislation passes into law, thousands of Americans would still be subject to exorbitant insulin prices. Our polling reveals that 81 percent of voters support capping the price of insulin at $35 per month for all Americans, regardless of insurance status.
Finally, an overwhelming majority of Americans support lowering costs for all prescription medications. A previous Data for Progress poll with Invest in America found that 83 percent of voters support giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for all prescription drugs.
Americans across the country are struggling to afford basic necessities in the face of rising costs. For more than 37 million Americans who live with diabetes, insulin has become a significant cost burden that has forced families to ration their medication or forfeit other necessary expenses in order to afford the life-saving and critical hormone. Lowering insulin costs is one of the most popular issues that Democrats can act on before November, relieving a heavy financial burden weighing on American families across the country. Not only are these reforms popular with the electorate, but they would also allow millions of Americans to live with the safety and dignity they deserve.
Abby Springs (@abby_springs) is the Press Assistant at Data for Progress.