Americans are squeezed by rising costs, and health care sits near the top of that pressure. This piece looks at how insulin pricing is a clear place Congress can act, explains what has already worked for seniors, and argues why extending that protection makes sense now. I share a personal connection to this fight and lay out the bipartisan path forward.
Every town hall and constituent call reinforces the same worry: health care is becoming unaffordable, and insulin is a stark example. When people tell me they have to choose between medicine and bills, that is not a political talking point, it is a real-life emergency. We can fix parts of this problem without overhauling the whole system.
One-third of Americans report cutting back elsewhere to pay for health needs, and survey after survey shows affordability drives votes. Earlier this year roughly three out of four voters said health care costs would influence their ballot choices. Those numbers are a message to lawmakers: take practical steps that help families now.
Insulin is different from groceries or streaming services—you can’t skip it. Nearly 8.4 million Americans depend on insulin, and as many as one in five users report rationing doses because of cost. For Type 1 diabetics, that rationing is a direct threat to life and health.
BIPARTISAN SENATE BILL TO CAP INSULIN FOR AMERICANS AT $35 HAS NEW MOMENTUM
Even people with insurance face growing pain at the pharmacy: premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs add up fast. In the richest country on earth, no family should have to decide between lifesaving medication and paying rent. That basic sense of fairness is what drives efforts to cap insulin prices.
The Inflation Reduction Act proved a targeted fix can work by capping monthly insulin costs for Medicare beneficiaries. The results have been measurable. A Johns Hopkins analysis found the share of Medicare patients paying $35 or less for a month of insulin rose from 48 percent in 2019 to 75 percent in 2023, and average out-of-pocket costs dropped significantly.
Those savings mattered in more ways than one. The Medicare cap didn’t just ease bills, it reduced emergency department visits and hospital stays tied to diabetes complications among seniors. When patients can afford consistent care, outcomes improve and taxpayers save on acute care costs.
But the protection stops at Medicare. Millions with employer-sponsored plans or no coverage at all still face crippling insulin bills. Earlier this year a Mississippi couple paid $194 for a one-month supply of insulin for their two-year-old son, a price no parent should confront when their child needs life-preserving medicine.
I know the stakes personally. My granddaughter, Elle, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes shortly after her eighth birthday, and our family lives the constant monitoring and worry that comes with managing this disease. That personal view doesn’t change the facts: policies that help should be extended to more families.
That is why I joined Senators Susan Collins, Raphael Warnock and John Kennedy to introduce the INSULIN Act, which would cap monthly insulin costs at $35 for Americans with employer-sponsored insurance and help uninsured patients access affordable insulin. The measure is bipartisan in design and intent.
Support for lowering insulin costs crosses party lines. The INSULIN Act counts 13 Republicans and 13 Democrats as backers, from Tammy Baldwin to Tommy Tuberville, showing this is not a fringe issue but a mainstream fix. When both sides agree on a practical solution, Congress ought to act.
Voters want action, not endless debate. Extending the Medicare cap to more Americans is a focused, achievable step that gives families real relief. We proved it works for seniors; finishing the job for everyone who needs insulin is commonsense policy and the right priority for lawmakers right now.
