The Endocrine Society applauds President Biden’s call to rein in soaring insulin prices for those with private insurance and urges Congress to take immediate action.
Biden plans to highlight the need for insulin affordability during tonight’s State of the Union address. He will call on Congress to extend insulin price caps—“commonsense, life-saving protection”—to all Americans, according to an
administration statement.
While Congress passed a provision to make insulin more affordable in the Inflation Reduction Act, the monthly $35 insulin price cap in the law applies only to people with Medicare. An attempt to extend the benefit to millions more with private insurance failed in August in the Senate by a mere three votes.
Limiting out-of-pocket insulin costs to $35 a month would be life-changing, particularly for the more than 1.8 million American children and adults with type 1 diabetes. Their bodies cannot produce the insulin needed to break down sugar and provide energy, so they depend on the medication to survive.
In 2021 alone, nearly one in five American adults with diabetes—about 1.3 million people—rationed their insulin to save money, according to a
study. Rationing insulin causes people with diabetes to become sicker and, in some cases, even die.
“The Endocrine Society has championed measures to improve insulin access for years,” said Society President Ursula B. Kaiser, M.D. “As physicians and researchers, it is heartbreaking to see our patients struggle to afford the medication that keeps them alive.”
More than 7 million people nationwide rely on insulin to manage their diabetes. According to the
U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 37.3 million people nationwide—about 11 percent of Americans—have diabetes.
While insulin was discovered more than 100 years ago, the price of insulin nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013, and the trend upward has continued over the past decade. This has created an unnecessary crisis in health care with many people with diabetes being forced to choose between insulin and other necessities.
The Society will continue to work with policymakers to ensure all people with diabetes who rely on insulin can benefit from lower out-of-pocket costs.
“Insulin affordability is a bipartisan issue,” Kaiser said. “Our patients cannot wait any longer for help.”
About the Endocrine Society
Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, including diabetes, obesity, infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the largest global organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.
With more than 18,000 members in 133 countries, the Society serves as the voice of the endocrine field. Through its renowned journals and ENDO, the world's largest endocrine meeting, the Society accelerates hormone research, advances clinical excellence in endocrinology, and advocates for evidence-based policies on behalf of the global endocrine community. To learn more, visit our online newsroom.
