Senate interest in price cap for insulin grows

Alex Brandon / Stephanie Scarbrough, The Associated Press

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), along with Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and John Kennedy (R-La.). are co-sponsors of a bill that caps out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 for people with commercial insurance. It would also create a pilot program in 10 states to cap costs for uninsured people. The push to cap the monthly cost of insulin comes as the cost of health care continues to top Americans affordability concerns. Lawmakers have discussed the idea of an insulin cap for years but haven t been able to get legislation over the finish line, due to GOP resistance to government setting prices.

There are now 28 members who support the bill, equally divided between the two parties. The bill got a major boost last week when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) added it as an amendment to another bill in the Senate HELP Committee markup. The committee voted 15-8 to approve it, with every Democratic member of the Committee voting in favor as well as some Republicans. But committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) voted against it, arguing the amendment wasn t germane to the underlying bill. He pointed out that existing programs already reduce the cost of insulin for many Americans, and expressed concerns about how much the effort would cost. Some drugmakers have voluntarily capped insulin costs, and a $35 limit for Medicare beneficiaries passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 with no Republican votes. A new poll from the American Diabetes Association shows why lawmakers want to act: 40 percent of respondents who rely on insulin report paying more than $150 per month for insulin, and 76 percent of respondents across political parties supported a $35 limit.