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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today voted to pass the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which caps out-of-pocket costs for insulin at no more than $35 per month under Medicare Part D and commercial health insurance. Modeled after similar provisions in the Build Back Better Act, this bill ensures vital and affordable access to life-saving medication for the more than 37 million Americans who have diabetes.

“Americans pay more than 10 times the price of insulin compared to other countries, and that gap in affordability has only increased in recent years,” Congressman Tonko said. “No person should ever have to choose between paying for their insulin and putting food on the table or paying their rent. Today, I joined the House to advance the Affordable Insulin Now Act to cap the cost of insulin at $35 and ensure millions of Americans living with diabetes have access to this vital medication. I’m proud to take this long overdue action and urge the Senate to swiftly bring this bill to the President’s desk.”

Rising by 54 percent from 2014 to 2019, the cost of insulin has created an affordability crisis for people living with diabetes. Americans currently face an average price of $98.70 for a unit of insulin—ten times higher than in other wealthy nations. One in four Americans who rely on insulin has been forced to ration doses due to high prices, a last resort with potentially fatal consequences.

The Affordable Insulin Now Act

• Requires private health plans to cover at least one of each type and dosage form of insulin and caps cost-sharing for a 30-day supply at the lesser of $35 or 25 percent of a plan’s negotiated price beginning in 2023.  The bill also requires all Medicare prescription drug plans to cap cost-sharing for insulin at no more than $35.
• Among individuals with private insurance, half would save at least $19 per month and a quarter would save at least $42 per month.  Individuals who buy their own insurance will experience the most savings.

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