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Is Massachusetts Still a Healthcare Leader if Many Cannot Afford Insulin?

The price of insulin has increased 1,200% since the 1990s due to price gouging, patent abuse, and price-fixing. Even those with insurance, especially high-deductible plans, may pay over $1,000 a month for insulin.  In our country today over 25 percent of those with this condition report rationing insulin due to the price

A patchwork of state-by-state bills addressing insulin affordability and access are trying to respond to these barriers to a lifesaving treatment for millions of people with diabetes.

The MA Chapter of Type 1 International is advocating for the passage of the following two bills as a start for improving the lives of people with diabetes.  Many states have already passed versions of these laws and we hope MA residents with diabetes can have the same protections.

The first law is known well in the type one diabetes community as, “Kevin's Law”, named after a person who lost his life due to an expired insulin prescription.  His parents have been advocating ever since because no one who needs insulin to stay alive should not have access to it.

Kevin's Law (SD.1525, An Act Relative to Emergency Insulin Access) was drafted during the last legislative session and now has some important amendments to it thanks to the efforts of Type 1 International. The bill now allows patients to access insulin without a prescription once every 6 months, and it also provides a 30-day supply rather than the previous 72 hours.

The current draft does not include an insurance mandate. This means that insulin-dependent patients in an emergency may be forced to pay the full price for the insulin that keeps them alive. 

Even those with insurance, especially high-deductible plans, may pay over $1,000 a month for insulin.

In an emergency and without an insurance mandate, patients will be forced to pay exorbitant prices just to stay alive. Patients who can’t afford the cost will pay with their life.

The second law addresses insulin pricing and is known as, The Copay Cap legislation (HD.1844, An Act Relative to Costs for Treatment and Management of Diabetes) and is still being drafted.  Type One International has been in contact with local representatives who are presenting the bill and are awaiting feedback.

Access to affordable insulin is quite literally a matter of life and death.  Even those who can scrape enough together to pay sacrifice things like college, homeownership, or having a family because they can’t keep up with the cost of this disease.  No one’s wages have kept up with the 1200% increases in insulin costs.

The time to act is now.  People living with diabetes in our country are facing major hardships when it comes to affording their insulin and supplies.

We hope that the changes to these bills advocated by Type 1 International will be included.