Monday, February 28, 2022

December 20, 2021: Sen. Joe Manchin and Insulin Prices.

12/20/21: Not all politicians are alike, not even all Democrats. Three sources report that Sen. Joe Manchin said he would vote against the “Build Back Better” plan, in part, because he didn’t like the Child Tax Credit payments. He said he thought parents would use the money to buy drugs. 

Since the Biden plan also set aside money for climate change, and for paid family leave, those ideas are effectively blocked in Congress. 

Since making it clear he would vote no, Sen. Manchin has been proven right – for the wrong reasons. Another feature of the BBB plan was to cap the cost of insulin for Type-1 diabetics at $35 per month. Republicans, with Manchin’s vote, can now block that idea too. The BBB plan passed the Democratic-controlled House earlier this month.

 

To give you some idea of how much it can cost Type-1’s to purchase the insulin they need to survive, my daughter, a nurse, with relatively good insurance, spends $600 every month, in uncovered costs, to provide the insulin and other supplies related to her disease that she must have if she wishes to live. 

There are an estimated 1.2 million Type-1 diabetics in this country, all of them stuck paying huge bills. 

Insulin was discovered 99 years ago. It’s not like Big Pharma today had to do a lot of expensive  research before they could start marketing the drug.


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