CHICAGO — Efforts are being made in the U.S. Senate to cap the price of insulin to $35 per month, according to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
A press release from Durbin’s office states an estimated 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes and approximately eight million Americans — 250,000 in Illinois — rely on insulin to manage their blood sugar levels.
Durbin plans to discuss on-going efforts in the Senate to reduce the cost of a 30-day supply of insulin through federal regulation at a 10 a.m. event on Friday.
As of January 2021, Illinois is one of only a few states that caps the cost of insulin at $100 per month. However the state law does not apply to every insurance plan and even in Illinois there are many who have difficulty affording a steady supply. In a previous WGN article, the governor’s office cited data indicating insulin brands that sold for $40 in 2001 had risen to $289 in 2020.
The event will be livestreamed in its entirety through this story beginning at approximately 10 a.m.