Insulin legislation gains steam 

Insulin legislation gains steam 

Bipartisan legislation to cap insulin at $35 a month for people with private insurance is gaining momentum. The bill, introduced in March, picked up four more co-sponsors Monday: Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.). 

© AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

The bill now has 22 bipartisan co-sponsors. It comes as Congress searches for ways to tackle affordability concerns. A KFF poll in April found the cost of healthcare is at the top of the list. 

The legislation was previously introduced in 2023 with 13 co-sponsors, including seven Republicans, but it did not advance out of committee. 

The latest version came from Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and Republicans Susan Collins (Maine) and John Kennedy (La.). It would extend the current $35 cap for Medicare patients — enacted under the Inflation Reduction Act — to individual plans sold on the ObamaCare marketplaces as well as commercial plans. 

It would also create a pilot grant program for 10 states to provide uninsured diabetes patients with insulin at $35 a month. 

The legislation calls for group and individual market health plans to waive any deductible and limit cost-sharing to no more than $35 or 25 percent of the list price per month for at least one insulin of each type and dosage form. 

The likely goal for lawmakers is to attach the legislation to must-pass bills at the end of the year, including several healthcare program extensions. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter,........

© The Hill