Health Affairs March 24, 2023
Recent cuts to the price of insulin raise this question: Why should those who rely on insulin for survival pay anything out-of-pocket to acquire it?
In a surprising move at the beginning of March, Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Humalog, cut insulin prices by 70 percent and capped patient out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month, mirroring an out-of-pocket price cap for Medicare Part D beneficiaries recently implemented as a part of the The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Eli Lilly’s price cap, however, extends to all patients, not just those covered by Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
Eli Lilly’s actions are not just laudable; for type 1 diabetics, they are potentially lifesaving. A steady stream of news stories documenting the...