Bipartisan bill would cap diabetes medication costs in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Nearly 1 million Ohio residents are diagnosed with diabetes and rely on insulin to manage the chronic health condition. A bipartisan bill in the Ohio House would cap the cost of insulin for all Ohioans.

House Bill 384, or the Insulin Reduction Act, is sponsored by Reps. Munira Abdullahi (D-Columbus) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township). The bill would cap the price of insulin at $35 for a 30-day supply, regardless of the amount or type of insulin needed to fill a diabetic's prescription.

The federal government capped insulin costs at $35 in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 but only for seniors with Medicare health insurance. The Insulin Reduction Act would expand the cap so that all diabetics in Ohio could get medicine for the same price.

The two-page bill, along with capping insulin prices at $35, would not allow diabetic devices, such as glucose monitors, insulin pumps and lancing devices to exceed $100. 

The total cost of insulin and other medications to manage blood glucose increased by 26% from 2017 to 2022, according to the American Diabetes Association.

“Some people, they’re paying more and more for insulin, and they’re having to make those tough decisions on, well, do I take my insulin, which people need to live and survive, or do I get to eat tonight or get to eat this week,” Hall said.

The bill is personal to both Abdullahi and Hall – Hall was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 10 years old, and Abdullahi was diagnosed in her early 20s. 

“I remember having to work a full-time job [in college] just to keep the insurance coverage that I had and pay for insulin and diabetic medication and it was just outrageously expensive,” Abdullahi said.

Without adequate insurance, the most commonly prescribed forms of insulin can cost more than $300 for a single vial in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. A total of 25 states, not including Ohio, have capped copayments for insulin, according to the ADA.

“A lot of people pay with insurance, $60 to $100 for a copay just to get this life-saving drug,” Abdullahi said. “There’s a lot of people who, unfortunately, have been reported to [ration] their insulin because it’s so expensive, like I remember I had to do that as well… which is so dangerous, you could literally die.”

High blood sugar, which commonly occurs when diabetics don’t have enough insulin, can result in numerous health conditions, such as heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, lower limb amputations and diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to a diabetic coma or death.

Insulin isn’t the only cost diabetics need to consider. Abdullahi said she was having difficulties getting DexComs, a glucose monitoring system, and was quoted $650 out of pocket, without insurance, for a month’s supply.

“Then we fought against it, got my insurance to cover it again, and now it’s $180, which is still a lot,” Abdullahi said. “And imagine if you don’t have a good paying job, you’ve got bills to pay, you’ve got a family to feed, like $180 a month is just not feasible.”

House Bill 384 has been assigned to the insurance committee and is awaiting its first hearing. Abdullahi and Hall encouraged anyone interested in submitting support testimony to reach out to their offices.