Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that California will begin selling affordable insulin under its own label on Jan. 1, nearly three years after he first announced a partnership to sell state-branded generic drugs at lower prices.
But California won’t be the only state making lower-cost insulin available. The nonprofit Civica said it will also distribute its economical diabetes medication to pharmacies nationwide. California began partnering with Civica in 2023 for its “CalRx” brand of insulin and put $50 million toward its development, the company said.
Starting in the new year, insulin pens will be available at a recommended price of $11 per pen, or a maximum of $55 for a five-pack, Civica said.
Can you imagine going broke paying for a life-saving drug knowing that elsewhere in your country, the law dictates that people can get it for cheap?
Type 1 diabetic here. With my insurance I pay $40 for a 90-day supply of two different types of insulin. I literally feel nauseous when I see the “retail” price printed on the receipts edging on $1000.
I know that number is mostly there to make me feel good about the “generous” insurance company, but at the same time the mail order pharmacy I use flubbed up one time and billed my CC for that amount, so that retail price is real in some sense. I fought them on it, but ultimately it was easier just to pay and hit my deductible sooner. I realize I’m damn fortunate to be in a situation where an unexpected $1k bill is just an inconvenience.
I’m not sure what my point is, but this system where commodity drugs are priced at exorbitant prices, and made affordable only by paying a middleman, is insane. Clearly drugs like insulin can be made and sold at a reasonable price, and if it takes a government body to step in and treat critical drugs as a public service rather than a profit-maker, then fuck it let’s roll with that!
I’m poor in the USA with a T1D kid. I would really like to go full time in my own business so I can pull my family out of poverty, but it’s the insulin/insurance that holds me back. I don’t want to jump onto ACA insurance when it’s absolutely in the crosshairs of the GOP. Seeing stories like this gives me hope.
Situations like yours are the other half of why this is all so maddening. Health insurance used to be a job perk, but now its being used as a noose to keep people tied to their job or risk not being able to afford healthcare for their family.
The ACA was a small, and wholly inadequate, step to fixing that, but at least a step. Fuck the GOP for trying to take even that away. It seems like even the reddest MAGA should be able to appreciate and encourage what you are trying to do.
Can you imagine going broke paying for a life-saving drug knowing that elsewhere in your planet, the law dictates that people can get it for free?
I mean the difference here is that you can there’s no immigration paperwork necessary to move states. You just drive/bus/walk.