Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cheap As Water? Insulin Users, Pricing Experts Question Trump's Claim
The Washington Post: Diabetic Americans Dispute Trump’s Claim He Made Insulin So Cheap ‘It’s Like Water’
Early in Tuesday night’s presidential debate, President Trump claimed he had drastically lowered the price of insulin, a lifesaving drug taken in some form by more than 7 million Americans with diabetes. “Insulin, it’s going to — it was destroying families, destroying people. The cost,” the president said. “I’m getting it for so cheap it’s like water.” That came as a shock to the Americans who shell out hundreds of dollars a month on insulin, a number of whom posted triple-digit pharmacy bills to social media immediately after the president’s assertion. (Guarine, 9/30)
Tampa Bay Times: Trump Says He Brought Down The Cost Of Insulin. But That’s Not True For All Americans
In Tuesday’s presidential debate, President Donald Trump claimed he helped lower the price of insulin to be as cheap as water. In reality, many Americans still pay hundreds of dollars a month for insulin depending on their insurance coverage, health experts said. Trump may have been referring when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a $35 cap on copays for insulin in May for some Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. The Trump administration estimated the cap would save seniors $446 on average, and that the manufacturers would endure an added $250 million in costs. But Anne Swerlick, a senior policy analyst at the Florida Policy Institute, said the insulin cap was mostly just “political theatre,” and barely scratched the surface of the murch larger, systemic issue of inflated drug pricing. (Ellenbogen, 10/1)
KIIITV: Fact Checking The Price Of Insulin: Local Health Experts Say The Price Has Dropped, But It’s Not Quite As Cheap As Water
3News checked with local health experts who say although the price of insulin has dropped, it's still not quite as cheap or accessible as water. “People just really need to look at what's available with the insulin they use. There's also copay cards available so there's a lot of help out there now with insulin and this is kinda brand new it just started happening in 2020,” said Registered Nurse, Georgiana Bradshaw. “I know a lot of people kinda don’t know about it and it's kind of the sad thing. "It could easily cost someone without insurance thirteen-hundred dollars per month to care for the condition. Even with insurance, co-payments and supplies can eat away at your monthly budget. (Trevino, 9/30)
In related news about insulin and diabetes —
Stat: Pharma And PBMs Must Jointly Face Insulin Price Fixing Lawsuit For First Time
A federal judge ruled that a Texas county can proceed with a lawsuit accusing several drug makers and pharmacy benefit managers of conspiring to fix prices for insulin, the first time these companies will have to collectively defend their role in the rising cost of the life-saving diabetes medicine. In a lawsuit filed last year, Harris County officials claimed taxpayers were “fraudulently overcharged” for ongoing and drastic price hikes for a medication that has not substantively changed in many years. (Silverman, 9/30)
Stat: Diabetes, Disparities, And Covid-19: Three Intertwined ‘Epidemics’ Raise Risk
Some of Mary-Elizabeth Patti’s patients with diabetes are in a bind. Careful to practice social distancing, they tell her during telehealth visits they don’t feel safe exercising outdoors in their congested neighborhoods — though they know staying active and maintaining good blood sugar levels may be their best defense against severe Covid-19. (Cooney, 10/1)
