EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – A pair of Wisconsin lawmakers is looking to make sure insulin is affordable for Wisconsinites living with diabetes.
State Senator Brad Pfaff and State Representative Jill Billings are looking to make sure a life-saving drug is available to those who need it by introducing legislation that would cap insulin prices in the state at $35 a month.
“We, as Americans, pay more for insulin than any other nation,” State Senator Pfaff (D) of Onalaska said. “A vial of insulin to purchase and to manufacture is pennies on the dollar versus what someone pays in order to have it to save their lives. I just think that is wrong.”
“Diabetics and Type 1, such as myself, we can’t exist longer than 24 hours without our insulin,” Sarah Beer, who lives with type 1 diabetes, said.
The Wisconsin Department of Health reports that 11% of Wisconsinites live with the condition. Senator Pfaff said his son was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 14 years old, making this legislation personal.
“I firmly believe that we as a society, as the richest nation in the world, when it comes to providing health care and making sure that our fellow neighbor has the type of health care and affordable health care that they need in order to stay alive,” Pfaff said. “It’s something that I’m committed to.”
For those living with diabetes, though, affording insulin is only part of the bill.
“What really gets you is the supplies to administer insulin,” Beer said. “It is the insulin pumps and the CGMs, the continuous glucose monitors, that can range upwards of $2,000-$3,00 every three months if you don’t have insurance coverage.”
So while this legislation is looking to make insulin more accessible, it serves more as a step towards affordability for those with diabetes.
“Insulin isn’t a luxury,” Beer said. “It’s a necessity, and unfortunately, it’s being treated like a luxury.”
Pfaff said 29 states currently have an insulin cap. He wants Wisconsin to be the 30th. He said he introduced legislation like this in the past, but is optimistic that this time it will move forward.
Pfaff said there is some similar federal legislation as well. The Inflation Reduction Act under the Biden Administration capped insulin costs at $35 a month for people on Medicare.
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