$35 insulin cap removed from Democratic bill package in Senate
Only 57 Senators voted in favor of the legislation: all 50 Democrats, as well as 7 Republicans,
More than 4 in 5 Americans are in favor of the government negotiating lower prescription drug prices, a fact which has helped encourage the Democrat’s agenda to cap medication costs. The effort has been dealt a blow after a provision seeking to put a $35 cap on private insurance insulin prices was removed from a Senate bill following Republican opposition.
According to The Washington Post, the provision was part of a larger package which needed at least 60 votes to pass. In the end, only 57 Senators voted in favor of the legislation: all 50 Democrats, as well as 7 Republicans, including Susan Collins of Maine and both Louisianan and Alaskan senators, according to CNN.
Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat who voted for the bill, says of its necessity, “The cost of insulin isn’t just out of control, it is devastating people,” according to The Washington Post.
Another insulin bill had previously passed in the House in March, according to Fierce Healthcare. The Affordable Insulin Now Act would limit maximum out-of-pocket insulin costs for people insured under Medicare Part D to $35 a month. It has not yet been voted on by the Senate.
Efforts to reduce insulin prices come as the cost of the essential medication has steadily grown over the past two decades. Between 2001 and 2018, the price of insulin increased on average 11% per year, according to the American Action Forum. Reasons for the change include pharmaceutical benefit company and drug manufacturer actions that inflate prices, reports WFAE, as well as a change in health insurance patterns. Increasing numbers of people now have high deductible health plans (HDHPs), WFAE says, which means people have higher upfront costs, even for essential medications like insulin.
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Currently, as many as 20% of insulin users insured by private companies pay more than $35 dollars a month for insulin, reports The Washington Post. Now that the provision has been removed, they will continue to – though Medicaid users may see lowered prices, as a clause to implement the price control measures for Medicaid remains in place.