A bill sponsored by 2nd District U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie and a bipartisan group of lawmakers that would put generic insulin on the market for diabetics was included in a larger bill that was approved by the House and Senate this week.
Guthrie, a Bowling Green Republican, co-sponsored the Lower Insulin Costs Now Act with Illinois Democrats Rep. Lauren Underwood and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, and Pennsylvania Republican Mike Kelly. The act was included in an appropriations bill that passed the House on Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday morning.
The appropriations bill is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump this week. The insulin measure will have the ultimate effect of allowing generic insulin to come to the market next year, Guthrie said Wednesday. Trump has to sign the appropriations bill to avert a government shutdown.
Guthrie, who is the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce committee’s oversight and investigations subcommittee, said the act was written as a way to counter rising insulin prices.
“Insulin has been around for 100 years,” Guthrie said Wednesday. While the drug has not changed, the price of insulin has increased from “$100 to $300 in the past decade,” he said.
A hearing last week on why insulin prices have increased did not yield any direct answers from insurers about why the price has risen, Guthrie said.
Part of the issue is “there’s an enormous supply” chain for insulin that includes the drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, health insurance companies and retail outlets, all of whom get a share of the sale price, Guthrie said.
While insurance companies are still paying $100 for insulin, people without insurance are paying $300 out of pocket, Guthrie said.
People with health insurance are also affected through higher deductibles, he said.
The insulin provision introduced by Guthrie and the others will basically allow generic forms of insulin, which are currently undergoing FDA approval, to complete the process. If the provision hadn’t passed, the approval process would have started over from scratch, keeping the drugs off the market for another year, Guthrie said.
With the provision included in the appropriations bill, Guthrie said he expects generic forms of insulin to be on the market by some time next spring.
“What this does is it increases competition, which will put pressure on lowering the price” of insulin, Guthrie said.
The House of Representatives was wrapped up in debate over impeachment Wednesday, but Guthrie said the insulin provision shows that Republicans and Democrats do work together on issues of common concern.
“It shows people are working together on both sides of the aisle,” Guthrie said.
The issue is important to people who need insulin, but is not a headline-grabber, he said.
“It’s not something people watch cable news for,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie said Trump has to sign the appropriations bill by Friday.
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Written by James Mayse. Cross-posted from the
Messenger-Inquirer via the Kentucky Press News Service.