Georgia's Warnock continues campaign to cap insulin costs

February 8th, 2023

A patient holds a vial of insulin during a news conference, July 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Georgia Democratic United States Sen. Raphael Warnock is continuing his push to lower insulin costs for people with diabetes who rely on the life-saving medicine.

President Joe Biden mentioned insulin costs in his State of the Union address Tuesday.

Last year, the Biden administration enacted legislation that Warnock had championed. Beginning this year, it caps insulin co-pays at $35 per month for people on Medicare.

A provision that would have also extended the cap to insulin users with private insurance failed to pass.

Now, Biden said he wants to cap it for “everybody.”

Average costs for the most popular types of insulin has tripled over the last decade, according to the American Diabetes Association.

And many insulin users struggle to make ends meet.

“Insulin should be affordable for everybody, including those on private insurance,” Warnock said.

It’s unclear whether any Democratic proposal this year would also cap costs for diabetics without health insurance, who often pay the most for their insulin.