U.S. House passes Kildee bill to cap monthly cost of insulin at $35

Officials celebrate grand opening of Berkley Place Apartments in Flint

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., speaks at Berkley Place Apartments on Friday, Oct. 4, 2021 along Ballenger Highway in Flint during its grand opening ceremony. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May

GENESEE COUNTY, MI — The Affordable Insulin Now Act, a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee to cap insulin costs at $35 a month, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The legislation received votes from both Republicans and Democrats on Thursday, March 31. The bill now moves on to the Senate and, if approved, could be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

In his speech on the House floor before the March 31 vote, Kildee said 1 in 4 Americans with diabetes have cut back or skipped insulin treatments due to high costs.

“This is legislation that would help people and save lives,” said Kildee, a Democrat from Flint Township.

Despite insulin’s introduction over 100 years ago, the cost of the medicine has skyrocketed in recent years, making it difficult for people with diabetes to access, experts say.

Americans pay more than 10 times the price of insulin compared to similar high-income countries, data shows.

“Michigan families and seniors are paying too much for insulin,” Kildee said in a statement Thursday.

“Today, with bipartisan support, the House passed my legislation to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month. As the father of a diabetic, I have seen first-hand how the extremely high price of prescription drugs, like insulin, hurts patients and families. That’s why I fought for this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I’m proud to say my bill has passed.”

Kildee — who represents Genesee, Bay, Arenac and Iosco counties as well as parts of Tuscola and Saginaw counties — introduced the legislation in February.

In March, Kildee chose Goodrich resident Jill Verdier to serve as his honorary guest at Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Verdier, who has Type 1 diabetes, helped call attention to the need for insulin price-capping legislation.

“As a person living with Type 1 diabetes, my life literally depends on my ability to afford insulin,” Verdier said.

Without this legislation, the average costs of insulin per month is around $375, officials said. For those who need to take more, charges can rise as high as $1,000 per month.

The legislation is supported by the American Diabetes Association and JDRF, a Type 1 diabetes research nonprofit organization.

The insulin cost-cutting measure was originally attached to the Build Back Better Act, a $2 trillion bill that addressed health care, climate change and childcare but ultimately lacked support in Congress last year.

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