The Senator’s effort included garnering high-profile endorsements, gaining support from the House and Senate Democratic caucuses, successfully shepherding his legislation to pass the House, and ultimately securing the $35 cap for Medicare recipients

At last month’s State of the Union address, Senator Reverend Warnock was joined by Atlanta resident and insulin user Lacy Mason (McGee). Lacy could not afford her insulin while in graduate school, often resorting to extreme measures to buy insulin

Senator Reverend Warnock: “After months of efforts to make insulin affordable for everyone who needs it, I applaud Eli Lilly’s announcement to cap insulin costs, a nod to my legislation.”

ICYMI from WSB-TV: Atlanta Insulin User Joins Senator Warnock at State of the Union Address to Highlight Moral Urgency of Lowering Insulin Costs

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) applauded Eli Lilly’s announcement to cap insulin costs at $35 a month. The announcement is a nod to Senator Warnock’s months-long campaign to cap insulin costs at $35 a month and his successful effort to cap insulin costs at $35 a month for seniors. According to Eli Lilly, the cost cap applies to both insured and uninsured insulin users.

“As a pastor, I’ve counseled Georgians and their families as they suffer from the effects of unmanaged diabetes,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Capping insulin costs is about more than people’s pocketbooks, it’s about saving lives. After months of efforts to make insulin affordable for everyone who needs it, I applaud Eli Lilly’s announcement to cap insulin costs, a nod to my legislation. I am going to keep working in Congress towards bipartisan solutions to make this one-hundred-year-old drug affordable for everyone.” 

In Georgia, over one million people have diabetes, which is 12 percent of the state’s adult population. According to data collected by Peterson-KFF, more than “1 in 20 insulin users whose costs currently exceed [a $35] cap in the private insurance markets pay more than $150 per month per insulin product.” Since joining the Senate, Senator Warnock has received more than 5,000 letters from Georgians asking him to act to lower prescription drug prices, over 900 about insulin specifically. 

Last February, Senator Warnock, a long-time champion for affordable, quality health care, introduced the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 for insulin users on private insurance and Medicare plans. The Senator worked to build critical support for the legislation, including garnering co-sponsorships from a majority of Senate Democrats as well as securing the bill’s bipartisan passage through the House of Representatives. Additionally, the Senator secured major endorsements for his legislation from important health care and diabetes advocacy organizations, including the American Diabetes Association. The Senator was able to successfully secure a provision of his legislation—a $35 out-of-pocket cost cap for Medicare recipients—in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law last August. Additionally, thanks to Senator Warnock’s efforts to bring national attention to this issue, major insurance company UnitedHealthcare announced it would eliminate out-of-pocket costs on insulin for all insured patients, and insulin drug manufacturer Sanofi announced it was capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month for all uninsured U.S. patients. As part of his continued effort to bring moral urgency to this issue, at last month’s State of the Union address, Senator Reverend Warnock was joined by Atlanta resident and insulin user Lacy Mason (McGee). Lacy could not afford her insulin while in graduate school, often resorting to extreme measures to buy insulin.

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