When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, I didn't know much about the disease. Back then, blood glucose testing was brand new, and I had no idea what my life would look like going forward -- but being able to afford the insulin I needed in order to live was never a concern.
However, in the last 20 years, the price of my insulin has risen significantly -- going from $40 a vial to upwards of $300. Yet there is simply nothing to justify this price hike.
Two pharmaceutical companies manufacture similar, competing versions of this type of insulin. But over the past 20 years, instead of competing to keep prices lower, there is clear evidence of "shadow pricing." One increases the price and the other follows shortly thereafter. So-called competitors have worked together to escalate the price of insulin -- a hormone that people cannot live without.
The prices of prescription drugs are soaring, and many big pharma CEOs and stockholders are getting rich while everyday families struggle to pay for life-saving treatments. This is unacceptable.
I promised when I ran for Congress to take on the soaring costs of prescription drugs. And from introducing a bipartisan bill earlier this year to make it easier for generic versions of medications to come to market, to supporting new legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of medications and extend that price to all buyers, that's exactly what I'm doing.
Will you join me in this fight? Add your name now to become a citizen co-sponsor of these important steps forward and join me in telling big pharma executives to stop putting profits over people's lives.
Even the best medications are ineffective if patients can't afford to buy them. And right now, one in four seniors struggles to pay for their medications. Of the 30 million Americans with diabetes who rely on insulin, one in four has admitted to rationing insulin because of costs. It is horrifying that some have died a preventable death as a result.
If you can't afford your medication, it doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican -- you just want someone to go to bat for you. That's why I am bringing my ideas and experience to the table as one of the few doctors (and the only woman doctor) in Congress to tackle this urgent issue head-on.
We can help Americans afford the medications they need, but only if we demand better. So please, add your name next to mine and together, we can end the practice of putting profits over people's lives.
Thank you,
Dr. Kim Schrier
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