Last year, Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the Affordable Insulin Now Act, starting a months-long effort to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month.

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 to Manufacturers, Insurers: “Last year, I introduced legislation to cap the cost of insulin for seniors and people on private insurance at $35 a month. Since then, bipartisan momentum has grown from Congress to the White House to make insulin affordable for everyone who needs it. While Congress passed part of my legislation to cap insulin costs for seniors, there are still too many Americans who cannot afford their insulin”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) called on insulin manufacturers and insurance companies to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month or less. The Senator sent letters to insulin manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Sanofi and insurers Blue Cross Blue Shield Association(BCBSA) Centene, Cigna, CVS Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Molina. Earlier in the month, Senator Warnock applauded Eli Lilly’s announcement to cap insulin costs at $35 a month — 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.

“Last year, I introduced legislation to cap the cost of insulin for seniors and people on private insurance at $35 a month,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“Since then, bipartisan momentum has grown from Congress to the White House to make insulin affordable for everyone who needs it. While Congress passed part of my legislation to cap insulin costs for seniors, there are still too many Americans who cannot afford their insulin …given the growing sentiment among lawmakers, health care professionals, and diabetics alike, I hope you will also choose to cap the cost of your insulin products for all users, including those with private insurance.”

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. 

In February 2022, 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.

Letters to insulin manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Sanofi and insurers Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) Centene, Cigna, CVS Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Molina are available here. Read one of the letters sent to Novo Nordisk below:

Dear Mr. Langa,

I write on behalf of the over one million diabetic Georgians to implore you to cap the out-of-pocket costs of Novo Nordisk-manufactured insulin at $35 per month or less for both uninsured and privately-insured Americans. 

Last year, I introduced legislation to cap the cost of insulin for seniors and people on private insurance at $35 a month. Since then, bipartisan momentum has grown from Congress to the White House to make insulin affordable for everyone who needs it. While Congress passed part of my legislation to cap insulin costs for seniors, there are still too many Americans who cannot afford their insulin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 21 million people with diabetes are under the age of 65. And in 2022, a study from Annals of Internal Medicine found that 1.3 million Americans with diabetes rationed their insulin that year. At this year’s State of the Union, I brought an Atlanta resident, Lacy McGee, as my guest. Lacy spent years rationing insulin, using expired insulin, or buying black market insulin. It is unacceptable that Lacy’s story is not unusual, millions of Americans have put their health and their life at risk because they could not afford their insulin. 

As you know, recently Eli Lilly announced that their insulin products will be capped at $35 per month for people on private insurance, a nod to my insulin cost-cap legislation. Additionally, in June 2022, Sanofi announced that uninsured patients will pay no more than $35 per month for their life-saving medicine. I appreciate the steps Novo Nordisk has taken in the last several years to make your insulin more affordable. For example, in 2020, your company started the My$99Insulin program, capping monthly costs at $99. I also understand that you have entered a partnership with Walmart to offer highly discounted insulin to diabetics. The health care system has made great strides since these initiatives, and given the growing sentiment among lawmakers, health care professionals, and diabetics alike, I hope you will also choose to cap the cost of your insulin products for all users, including those with private insurance.

I am glad that many companies have taken steps to voluntarily lower insulin costs for families. I believe Novo Nordisk can afford to take this life-saving step as well. In the meantime, I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to lower drug costs for everyone and forge bipartisan legislative solutions to the affordable drug crisis because Americans cannot afford to wait. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

###