Advocacy to Lower the Cost of Insulin

The Endocrine Society is one of the leading voices calling for US legislation to lower the cost and price of insulin.  Our work has influenced the Biden Administration to prioritize this issue and the US Congress to develop legislative proposals.

• Medicare Insulin Price Cap: Historic legislation was signed into law capping the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month for people with Medicare. The legislation was a long-term goal of the Society and is a monumental moment in the history of diabetes advocacy.
• Congressional Meetings & Briefings: The Endocrine Society has conducted hundreds of congressional meetings to urge passage of bipartisan legislation and conducted several educational briefings for policy makers about insulin affordability.  Endocrine Society Clinical Affairs Core Committee Chair Joshua Joseph, MD presented at a congressional briefing to help policy makers understand how insulin affordability impacts racial and ethnic minorities and the role of social determinants of health in diabetes care and outcomes.
• White House Action: The Endocrine Society met with the Biden Administration to make insulin affordability a priority.  As a result, a proposal to expand an insulin co-pay cap to the private insurance market was included in the President’s budget and in the State of the Union address.
• Congressional Activity: The Endocrine Society continues to advocate for legislation that would expand the $35/month cap on insulin in Medicare to private insurance.  As a result of our efforts, several legislative proposals continue to be offered and considered in Congress.
• Testimony: The Endocrine Society participated in a bipartisan briefing hosted by the Congressional Diabetes Caucus to educate Members of Congress and their staff about insulin affordability. Endocrine Society member Alvin C. Powers, MD testified before the Congress providing policy recommendations that resulted in legislative proposals in both the House of Representatives and US Senate.
• Position Statement: The Endocrine Society published a position statement on insulin affordability before the US Congress began working on the issue to share policy recommendations and instigate and influence legislative proposals.