Post by ashliy on Feb 25, 2022 9:33:21 GMT
In Our View: Insulin price debate highlights health care’s ills
A debate in the Legislature about the cost of insulin goes well beyond the scope of the lifesaving drug. It speaks to inefficiencies in American health care and the need for vast changes.
That is beyond the purview of state lawmakers as they consider Senate Bill 5546, which recently passed the Senate by a 48-1 vote (all senators from Clark County voted in favor). The bill, which now is in the House, would set a co-pay cap of $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin for patients on state-regulated insurance plans. Currently, a vial typically costs more than $200, and prices have increased an average of more than 15 percent a year since 2012.
The Washington bill would not apply to private health insurance, which covers more than half the state’s residents.
There are good reasons for supporting the legislation. With sharp increases in cost, various studies have shown that about one-quarter of Americans who rely on insulin have taken to rationing their supplies.
Such a practice is dangerous and can lead to blindness, kidney failure or death. For diabetics, insulin is a lifeline that helps the body process sugars and carbohydrates in food. A 2019 report from the state Department of Health lists diabetes as the seventh-leading cause of death in Washington.
www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/23/in-our-view-insulin-price-debate-highlights-health-cares-ills/
This shouldn't be happening.
A debate in the Legislature about the cost of insulin goes well beyond the scope of the lifesaving drug. It speaks to inefficiencies in American health care and the need for vast changes.
That is beyond the purview of state lawmakers as they consider Senate Bill 5546, which recently passed the Senate by a 48-1 vote (all senators from Clark County voted in favor). The bill, which now is in the House, would set a co-pay cap of $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin for patients on state-regulated insurance plans. Currently, a vial typically costs more than $200, and prices have increased an average of more than 15 percent a year since 2012.
The Washington bill would not apply to private health insurance, which covers more than half the state’s residents.
There are good reasons for supporting the legislation. With sharp increases in cost, various studies have shown that about one-quarter of Americans who rely on insulin have taken to rationing their supplies.
Such a practice is dangerous and can lead to blindness, kidney failure or death. For diabetics, insulin is a lifeline that helps the body process sugars and carbohydrates in food. A 2019 report from the state Department of Health lists diabetes as the seventh-leading cause of death in Washington.
www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/23/in-our-view-insulin-price-debate-highlights-health-cares-ills/
This shouldn't be happening.