PORTLAND, Ore. — On Tuesday, the Oregon Senate passed a bill that would cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for Oregonians.
"No Oregonian should suffer because they can’t afford basic, life-saving medication," said Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem.
In addition to limiting the cost of insulin, Senate Bill 1508 would also prevent the Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) and Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (P&T) from using Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) formula to determine coverage for those on Medicaid and Medicare. Patterson said QALY discriminates against people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, making it harder and more expensive for those individuals to get the care they need
"No Oregonian should have to ration their medication or choose between paying for prescriptions or basic necessities like food or housing," Patterson said. "SB 1508 works to make sure that every Oregonian, regardless of their health or disability status, gets the care they need."
More than 37 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, a chronic illness that affects how a person's body turns food into energy. Insulin is the main medication that many people living with diabetes need to use to survive. However, the price of the 100-year-old drug has more than tripled in the last two decades, forcing people to pay thousand of dollars a year for life-saving medication.
Patterson said this bill would help protect Oregonians on Medicaid, the Oregon Health Plan and those with private insurance from the rising costs on insulin, especially seniors.