The government has a knack for finding the least efficient way to solve a problem, and that’s certainly the case for how Washington deals with diabetes care in America.
Today, roughly one out of every eight Americans has diabetes, and the federal government spends $307 billion per year on diabetes-related health care services for patients throughout the country. That’s $1 out of every $4 that our country spends on health care.
But diabetes doesn’t need to be this expensive. When patients follow the advice of their doctors and follow through with their prescribed insulin, diabetic patients can avoid many of the costliest side effects of the disease, including emergency room visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, and dialysis.
The problem is that many Americans cannot afford their insulin. A single-month supply of insulin can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 per month. The average insulin-dependent diabetic has $4,800 per year in out-of-pocket expenses related to medical appointments, supplies, and medications. And most Americans just don’t have an extra $4,800 laying around to pay for their required care.
So, they don’t. One in six diabetic Americans admitted to rationing their prescribed insulin doses due to financial concerns. Some have stopped taking their medications altogether. In total, 41% of Americans admitted that they struggle to afford their diabetic care.
When patients can’t afford to follow their doctors’ orders, they often wind up in the emergency room—and it isn’t cheap. The average cost of a diabetes-related hospital stay can range from $8,426 to $23,359. Not only do these patients face costly hospitalizations, but they also miss work. The American economy loses $106 billion in productivity per year due to diabetic patients who must call in sick.
We don’t need to wait until diabetic Americans are hospitalized and missing work before we decide to act. We can save American taxpayers billions of dollars in unnecessary medical expenses by ensuring that every American can afford the insulin they need to stay healthy.
My Affordable Insulin Now Act would ensure that every American, including those without health insurance, has access to a 30-day supply of insulin for no more than $35 per month. This bill builds upon the INSULIN Act, a bill I co-sponsor with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to establish a pilot program to test capping the price of insulin at $35-per-month in 10 states throughout the country.
My bill is not some new welfare program that spends money we don’t have. My bill saves money.
Insulin price caps have already delivered savings for elderly Americans. A recent study of a 2024 law that capped the price of insulin for Americans on Medicare at $35 per month revealed a nearly 5% reduction in medical expenses related to rationing insulin. If we cut 5% from the $307 billion that the federal government already spends on diabetic care by capping the price of insulin for all Americans, we could save taxpayers more than $15 billion per year.
When the federal government is already $39 trillion in debt, Congress has got to start considering more efficient ways to care for diabetic Americans. My bill would not only save money, but it could also save the lives of diabetics who depend on insulin that they cannot afford.
Diabetes is difficult enough to manage without having to consider whether you can afford to pay for your insulin. Congress can save taxpayer money and improve the lives of diabetic Americans by ensuring that every person has access to affordable insulin.
Sen. Kennedy serves on the Appropriations, Banking, Budget, and Judiciary Committees in the U.S. Senate. He serves as the top Republican of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy.
