Memo: Ending the Insulin Crisis with the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act
By Avi Zenilman - Fellow, Data for Progress
Executive Summary:
Seven million Americans need insulin every day to control their blood sugar and avoid life-threatening medical events. This includes everyone with type 1 diabetes as well as many who have developed type 2 diabetes. The World Health Organization has designated insulin an “essential medicine,” which means that governments have a duty to make it affordable. In America, however, the cost of a vial of insulin has tripled over the past two decades. Put simply, because insulin is no longer affordable here, America is failing its duty.
When Republican and Democratic messages are presented, voters support the government manufacturing insulin, 58 percent to 32 percent.
Even without a Democratic message, voters support the government manufacture of insulin, 48 percent to 33 percent.
In both scenarios tested, independents, on net, support generic manufacture of insulin.
Voters support executive action to generically produce insulin.
Voters don’t like pharmaceutical companies. Polling consistently indicates that the electorate is heavily in favor of creative government action to stop the hoarding of public goods and make lifesaving drugs affordable.
