Lowering the Cost of Insulin Could Be Deadly
When I heard that my patient was back in the ICU, my heart sank. But I wasn’t surprised. Her paycheck usually runs short at the end of the month, so her insulin does too. As she stretches her supply, her blood sugar climbs. Soon the insatiable thirst and constant urination follow. And once her keto acids build up, her stomach pains and vomiting start. She always manages to make it to the hospital before the damage reaches her brain and heart. But we both worry that someday, she won’t.
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed last month, aims to help people like her by lowering the cost of insulin across America. Although efforts to expand protections to privately insured Americans were , Democrats succeeded in capping expenses, some of whom will save hundreds of dollars a month thanks to the measure. In theory, the policy (and at the state level) will help the estimated who have been forced to ration the drug because of cost, and will prevent some of the from diabetic ketoacidosis, the fate from which I’m trying to save my patient.
