At an average of $90 per vial, insulin has increasingly become inaccessible for some folks living with diabetes in the U.S.
More than 14% of Philadelphians live with diabetes, some of whom may benefit from a recent provision under the Inflation Reduction Act that lowers out-of-pocket costs for Medicare recipients.
Those recipients — seniors and people with disabilities — will see a $35 cap on insulin copays, which took effect in July.
Not everyone knows, so some hospital leaders, city officials, and patients are spreading the word.
“The effect that it is having on so many people, to think that we are now implementing this action on insulin,” Pennsylvania Congressman Dwight Evans said. He first highlighted the issue four years ago.
He cited a 2019 report by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on the soaring cost of insulin and raised concerns about its impact on residents with disabilities, seniors, and the 47,000 uninsured residents who live in his district.