TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For the longest time, Milton Lane was spending $120 every month on insulin. Insulin prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, leaving diabetics worried about access to the life-saving drug.
“I think the $35 cap is what America needs,” said Milton Lane. “What we need to keep living.”
Now, Democrats are touting a new cap on insulin prices as a solution, through a program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. U.S. Representative Kathy Castor Thursday visited a local pharmacy to celebrate the program.
“It was kind of hard at first,” Lane explained. “Because one vial of insulin for 30 days is $60, and that’s a lot.”
Lane said he would sometimes use two vials a month, too. But now, he says, a cap on insulin prices has helped him out.
“I think that helps everybody, with the cap being $35 so you can get your medicine,” Lane said. “And you can get the rest of your medicines.”
Local pharmacist, Dr. Vondalyn Wright, agreed.
“And for us to have a cap on that insulin has really changed the way some people are able to live,” Wright said.
The cap comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, which limited the price of insulin to $35 per month for those on Medicare.
“That has helped put money back into people’s pockets at a time that they really need it,” said Rep. Kathy Castor. “It’s really reduced their financial burden.”
But Castor said there’s more work to do.
“We need to finish the job,” Castor said. “I’m co-sponsoring the Affordable Insulin Now Act. That will cap insulin at $35 per month for all Americans.”
That’s because not everyone will be covered by the new cap. Castor said that includes diabetics with private insurance and no insurance. Until there’s a solution, they will still face potentially steeper prices for this life-saving medicine.
Last month, three members of Congress proposed an expansion of the Affordable Insulin Now Act to cover more Americans. The issue of lowering the costs of the drug has bipartisan support.
