Insulin price caps are great, but when will all diabetes patients benefit?

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The White House released new data on who can benefit from President Joe Biden’s cap on insulin costs.

In California alone, this will benefit millions of diabetes patients. Insulin manufacturer Eli Lilly also announced it, too, will drastically lower its prices. But these changes won’t help everyone dealing with this disease.

READ MORE | Eli Lilly cuts insulin prices up to 70% amid pressure to slash costs

People with Type 2 diabetes can offset their insulin use with other less expensive medications, but many with Type 1 diabetes don’t qualify for Medicare and solely rely on insulin.

“You can pay up to $400 to $600 to $800 a month extra, on top of your health insurance payments, for one vial or three vials of insulin,” said diabetes patient JP Qualters.

Endocrinologist Dr. Joseph Barrera with Providence Mission Hospital in Orange County said 90% of the insulin he prescribes is delivered through preloaded pens.

“They are typically younger patients, kids, teenagers, even young adults,” he said. “They just dial in the dose, remove that cap to the needle, and just self-inject. It so much easier than having to draw from a vial.”

Provisions in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Eli Lilly’s $35 a month price cap only cover insulin vials. Plus, Eli Lilly products account for one third of patients who use insulin.

“Every other company making insulin is going to have to lower their prices to $35 because they can’t compete,” said Biden.

Today, pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Sanofi stated they are also committed to insulin affordability, but said they already offer discount and assistance programs to patients. Barrera said insulin is only part of the monthly costs diabetes patients have to shoulder.

“Insulin testing supplies. We’re relying a lot on these continuous glucose monitors now that patients can wear,” Barrera said.

In California, the American Diabetes Association revealed more than three million residents or more than 10% have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Doctors said more than 8 in 10 Americans have pre-diabetes and don’t know it.

Most of them are Native Americans and other people of color.