This morning over coffee, my friends post struck me by surprise, it stated that insulin cost 8x more here then in other countries. I knew it was an astronomical amount but I wasn’t fully aware of the way the medical field continues to capitalize from a life long illness. Do you still think this “the greatest country on earth” or is it just for a marginalized mindset? Why aren’t we advocating for lower prices if this is affecting so many?
Low cost Insulin in the US retails between $175-$300 a bottle in the US, sometimes patients needing up to 3 vials a month if Type I & Type II requiring up to 6. When looking at the Humalog vial price, a popular brand, patients could spend up to $1,170 a month on medicine. Of the 30.3 million people in the United States with diabetes, about 5% are type 1 diabetics and need insulin to survive. Type 1 diabetics do not produce insulin naturally so they take insulin when eating to properly process glucose.
Not to seem insensitive but why is Narcan lower? Narcan can cost around $130 to $140 for a kit that includes two doses. I advocate strongly against drug addiction + overcoming disease to support overall wellness but this is a discrepancy in our system. It’s not that Narcan should be less affordable but actually that insulin prices need to mirror the cost of what they actually are.
Studies found that the average price for insulin in the US is listed at around $99 per unit, compared to around $7 in Australia, $12 in Canada, and $7.50 in the UK. Rapid acting insulin’s are even worse tapping in at $111 in the US but an average of $8 in other countries.
We can do better America. We can do better as a conscious community that needs to stand together to advocate for lower prices as a whole, everyone should have access to free healthcare, medicine or help when necessary. As if I wasn’t already saddened by the state of our medical system, this sprinkles the cake.