The Rising Cost Of Insulin: "Horror Stories Every Day"
NEW YORK (CBSDFW.COM) - After years of rising prices, insulin costs in the U.S. are creating painful choices for some diabetics and their families.
The problem is drawing the attention of lawmakers, with the Senate Committee on Aging examining insulin prices a hearing on Tuesday. One father testified that his 13-year-old son's insulin jumped from $300 for a 90-day supply in 2017 to more than $900 in early 2018.
"I immediately went into panic mode," Paul Grant, a project estimator for a building company in Maine, told the committee. "I tried to get answers from my insurance company but received little help or explanation. I don't think they even understand our health plan – I know I don't."
Grant, who said he ended up buying the same insulin from Canada, where it cost about $300, isn't alone. Insulin prices more than tripled from 2002 to 2013 and have continued to climb -- costs for the drug from two manufacturers rose almost 8 percent in 2017.
Diabetes, a disease in which the body fails to properly regulate blood sugar, affects 30 million -- or almost one in 10 -- Americans.
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