David Mendosa: A Writer About Diabetes 9/16/16: Why Walmart Insulins Aren’t the Answer to High Insulin Prices | Insulin Nation Commentary Some people don’t understand why people with diabetes get upset at the price of insulin. They see insulin for sale at a relatively reasonable price in Walmart and don’t see the problem. What they don’t know is that these Walmart insulins just don’t perform nearly as well as the more expensive insulins, and that gap in performance can have a very negative effect on the health of people with diabetes. There are three insulins available at Walmart for the price of $25 – NPH, Regular, and 70/30 (a mix of the two). Take a moment and think about what healthcare was like in 1950. Now, I’m sure someone is saying, “Well, they must still work if they are still being sold.” If a person with Type 1 diabetes were to switch from a Humalog/Lantus insulin regimen to Regular and NPH, it would drastically alter their lifestyle, making blood sugar control more irregular and raising A1C scores. The biggest issue is that whereas Lantus is steady, NPH peaks. Quite frankly, this sucks.
Diabetes Blog Diabetic Living 1/10/19: Rush Introduces "Insulin Access For All Act" for Medicaid & Medicare Beneficiaries On Wednesday January 9, Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill) introduced the Insulin Access For All Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill aims to eliminate the cost-sharing requirement for patients on Medicare and Medicaid so more people living with diabetes have access to this life-saving medication. Cost sharing refers to the share of costs covered by insurance that must be paid out-of-pocket, often including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. If this bill were to become law, insulin could be covered by Medicare and Medicaid in full, eliminating costly monthly pharmacy expenses. “This bill, introduced with significant [33] cosponsors, addresses the appalling issue plaguing Americans who have one of the most devastating and debilitating diseases of modern times — diabetes. The high cost of insulin can have fatal consequences, as was the case with Alec Raeshawn Smith in 2017. Read more about H.R. 366 here.
Diabetes blog - Kerri Morrone Sparling's life with type 1 Diabetes Research, Care, Education & Resources | Joslin Diabetes Center 2/7/19: Does Walmart Sell Insulin for $25 a Vial Without a Prescription? In early February 2019, amid continued public outcry over the soaring cost of life-saving pharmaceuticals, readers shared a screen-captured image on social media of a local news station’s reporting on the story of a woman who said she bought inexpensive insulin without a prescription at Walmart: Readers asked us whether this was true. It is true, although you should note Walmart sells human insulin, an older version of the glucose-moderating hormone, whereas most insulin-dependent diabetics are currently prescribed insulin analogs that have evolved to help prevent dangerous swings in blood-glucose levels. The screenshot above was taken from a 4 February 2019 news broadcast from Dallas–Fort Worth television station KDFW: We confirmed with Walmart that the retail chain does indeed sell human insulin without a prescription (except in Indiana). Dr. Note, there are two types of diabetes. When my child was first diagnosed, she was on NPH.