The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has endorsed three important bills that aim to lower the costs of diabetes medications, which have risen to an alarmingly high level, even leading to deadly outcomes.
Three Bills Endorsed by the ADA
- Insulin Price Reduction Act (H.R. 4906 / S. 2199). This act aims to lower insulin costs by providing incentives for drug makers to revert to 2006 list prices of insulin products. The incentives include protecting insulin makers from having to offer rebates to insurers.
- Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279 / S. 2546). This bill aims to get rid of the barriers to immediate and safe diabetes care. It will prevent unneeded delay of diabetes medications due to the practice of “step therapy” in which a patient is required to try a generic alternative before paying for the drug their doctor prescribed.
- Chronic Condition Copay Elimination Act (H.R. 4457). This act will effectively remove copays on drugs needed to treat chronic conditions.
Making changes for the future of diabetes care
The selection of these bills lets patients know the bills on which they need to advocate and take action. The American Diabetes Association selected these three bills based on their ability to change diabetes care for the future. According to their website, they based their selections on three guiding questions:
- Does the policy lower the cost of insulin and other drugs for people living with diabetes?
- Does the policy eliminate barriers people with diabetes face to getting insulin and other drugs?
- Does the policy promote competition and innovation in the parts of the healthcare system that must be sustained?
To learn more about how the ADA makes these choices, see their advocacy engagement platform, where you can take action directly from their site.
Tracey D. Brown, CEO of the ADA, said, “By focusing on the most important insulin and drug pricing bills and giving our community easy ways to communicate their views with Congress, we will elevate the conversation from words into meaningful action.”
