Letter to Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Leads Reps. Craig, McBath, And Kildee In Urging Senate To Hold A Vote On Capping Insulin Prices

Letter

Dear Senate Majority Leader Schumer,

We write to urge you to advance legislation that eases the monthly cost of insulin for millions of Americans living with diabetes. Although we have made historic moves to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs for Medicare beneficiaries, Americans covered by private health insurance also deserve relief from the burden of excessive drug costs. Last month, you promised to bring insulin legislation to the floor again this fall and we stand ready to support you in those efforts.

Over 37 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes and at least 1 out of 5 insulin users on private insurance currently pay more than $35 a month to obtain insulin.[1] An estimated 14 percent of people with diabetes in the U.S. spend at least 40 percent of their income on insulin, causing catastrophic spending as insulin prices have more than doubled over the last 10 years.[2] It should come as no surprise that for the vast majority of Americans, those prices are simply unsustainable. We applaud the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which lowers costs for Americans with diabetes on Medicare by capping out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month and is a historic step toward making insulin affordable for everyone. It is imperative that we continue to advocate for policy that caps out-of-pocket insulin costs for Americans on private health insurance who continue to pay exorbitant amounts for life-saving insulin. Therefore, we respectfully request that you hold another vote on the insulin cap in the Senate.

Capping out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month is considered a top health care priority for Americans[3] and at least 22 states have enacted state legislation capping insulin copayments.[4] Despite the popularity of capping out-of-pocket insulin costs among voters, 43 Senators voted against affordable insulin for privately insured Americans during budget reconciliation. The House has demonstrated its commitment to lowering costs for American families struggling to afford insulin through its passage of the Affordable Insulin Now Act in March, and now the Senate must again consider legislation to assist the millions of Americans crushed by monthly drug costs.

We thank you for your leadership on this issue and strongly urge you to advance this legislative priority in the Senate. Americans who depend on life-saving insulin everyday should not be forced to choose between buying groceries or buying insulin. We cannot wait another moment.

Sincerely,