Solutions

Insulin For All, or universal insulin, means insulin is available to every single insulin-dependent person in the U.S. without financial, logistical, social, or biological barriers preventing access. People with diabetes should receive insulin at no cost since they cannot live without it.

We believe there are five paths to guarantee universal insulin in the U.S. and we plan to fight for all of them until Insulin For All is achieved:

• Medicare for All

• Federal Price Caps

• Government Manufacturing

• Federal Purchasing Pool

• Over-the-Counter Access

Our platform is what we are building political power to fight for and what we expect our representatives to work on implementing in Congress now.

Medicare For All

A national, single payer health system, like those in other high-income countries, is by far the best path to achieving equity in health outcomes for people with diabetes and guaranteeing universal insulin for everyone. 

We support Medicare For All options that ensure a single payer, free at point of service health care that is universal for every person in the United States, whether they are citizens or not.

Federal Price Caps 

Drugmakers have voluntarily lowered prices on their older insulins, but they are still priced higher than in all other countries. Their out-of-pocket caps for their insulin only help diabetics with commercial insurance who use participating pharmacies. And co-pay cards and patient assistance programs are not regulated and add more barriers to accessing affordable insulin.

Instead, we support the federal government regulating the price of insulin by setting a fair price cap of $20 a vial, as outlined in the Insulin for All Act of 2023.

Government Manufacturing

We support the federal government manufacturing and distributing insulin to all persons in the U.S. at a fair price, ideally free.

The current proposal in Congress is the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). This would allow the federal government to manufacture or contract with private companies to manufacture insulin. The government would then “sell publicly-manufactured drugs at a fair price that covers manufacturing costs while ensuring patients have access to these drugs.” 

Federal Purchasing Pool

We support the government establishing a federal purchasing pool that would purchase insulin directly from insulin manufacturers and distribute it to all persons in the U.S. at a fair price, ideally free. 

The details for this plan are outlined in Merril Goozner’s article in Democracy Now, “Insulin Should Be Free. Yes, Free.” 

Over-the-Counter Access

Reclassify analog insulins to over-the-counter (OTC) status, like they are in other countries. This will remove other cost barriers (co-pay to see a doctor, time off work, transportation, etc.) to allow for easier access to this life-saving medication. This will also make it easier to get insulin in an emergency situation or when traveling, when one might not have a prescription with them.