Rising costs of insulin causing patients to ration their doses or even do without the drug
WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Out-of-pocket costs for insulin could be restricted to $25 a month for people under a drug benefit plan announced Wednesday by Express Scripts.
The average monthly savings for workers whose employers adopt the plan would be about $16 a month, The New York Times reported.
There has been rising anger about steep increases in the cost of insulin in recent years. The average price of insulin rose from about $234 a month in 2012 to about $450 a month in 2016, according to the Health Cost Institute. It has become even more costly since 2016, leading some patients without insurance or with high deductibles to ration their doses or even do without the drug, The Times reported.
The cost of insulin has caught the attention of U.S. lawmakers. On Tuesday, patients and doctors testified about rising insulin prices before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Next week, the issue is expected to come up when executives from the top pharmacy benefit managers are scheduled to testify before the Senate Finance Committee, The Times reported.
The New York Times Article
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