North Dakota Caps Insulin Copays at $25 a Month as 29 States Adopt Similar Limits
North Dakota enacted legislation last year capping patients' out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $25 a month under state-regulated health insurance plans, even before patients meet a high deductible. KFF Health News reported on November 13 that North Dakota is one of 29 states that have adopted similar measures.
Republican state Senator Sean Cleary, who helped push the legislation, said high insulin prices have made the drug unaffordable for many people with diabetes. Democratic state Senator Tim Mathern, who led the effort, said the cap means patients no longer have to choose between buying medicine and paying other bills. State Representative Carrie McLeod, a Republican and a diabetes educator, supported the bill along with groups such as AARP.
The report featured the Kritzberger family of Hillsboro, who have farmed for more than a century, to illustrate the long-running medication costs facing families with diabetes. Congress is also considering a national insulin price cap, and North Dakota's Republican U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer is among the co-sponsors. Supporters say the states' experience provides a reference for federal legislation.
Source: KFF Health News
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于俾斯麦的北达科他州议会大厦。图：Quintin Soloviev／Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0授权 / The North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck. Photo: Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
