Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 15
Shaheen Introduces $35 Insulin Cap Bill for Employer Plans With 26 Bipartisan Senate Backers
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 15

Shaheen Introduces $35 Insulin Cap Bill for Employer Plans With 26 Bipartisan Senate Backers

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 15

Summary

  • $35 a month is the cap proposed in the new INSULIN Act for Americans with employer-sponsored insurance, while the bill also seeks to help uninsured patients obtain cheaper insulin.
  • 8.4 million Americans use insulin, and as many as 1 in 5 have rationed it because of cost, Shaheen said, arguing families should not face higher prices based on insurance status.
  • Medicare's existing insulin cap is the model: a Johns Hopkins analysis found the share of beneficiaries paying $35 or less rose from 48% in 2019 to 75% in 2023, while average out-of-pocket costs fell by more than half.
  • 26 senators — 13 Republicans and 13 Democrats, including Susan Collins, Raphael Warnock and John Kennedy — are backing the measure, reflecting broad political support for lowering insulin costs.

Insights

The INSULIN Act targets patient costs, but does it fix the complex pricing system that made it expensive?
Beyond insulin, does this bipartisan effort signal a new era of government price controls for essential medicines?
Will capping insulin costs for patients simply lead to higher health insurance premiums for everyone else?