Rep. Underwood-Backed Legislation to Cap the Monthly Cost of Insulin at $35 Passes House

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Illinois, issued the following news release:

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) supported the Affordable Insulin Now Act, whichcaps out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month in Medicare Part D and private health insurance. The Affordable Insulin Now Act ensures affordable access to vital life-saving medication for the more than 37 million people in the United States who have diabetes, including one-third of Medicare beneficiaries and the more than 7 million Americans who rely on insulin.

"I've heard from so many families in my community about the difficult decisions they have to make to afford their insulin. No person should have to choose between life-saving medication and feeding their family," said Underwood. "I came to Congress to lower health care costs for Americans. That's why I voted for the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which ensures that millions of Americans can access affordable, life-saving medication."

1 in 4 Americans who rely on insulin have cut back or skipped doses due to costs, and Americans pay more than 10 times the price of insulin compared to other similar high-income countries. In a recent study, insulin out-of-pocket costs among all insulin users averaged $64 in 2017, almost double what the out-of-pocket costs would be under the Affordable Insulin Now Act.

The Affordable Insulin Now Act lowers insulin costs by:

* Requiring private health plans to cover at least one of each type and dosage form of insulin.

* Requiring private health plans to cap cost-sharing for a 30-day supply of insulin at whichever price is less: $35 or 25% of a plan's negotiated price.

* Requiring all Medicare prescription drug plans to cap cost-sharing for insulin at no more than $35.

Congresswoman Underwood's Lower Insulin Costs Now Act, signed into law in 2019, reduced the cost of insulin by helping lower-cost, generic insulin become available sooner. It allowed the Food and Drug Administration to review applications for generic insulin beyond the cut-off date, creating access to new treatments that can lower the cost of insulin for those who rely on it to survive.