Diabetics who are dependent on insulin have to pay $1,000 a month, on average, for insulin and supplies. That’s ridiculous for a drug whose patent was sold 97 years ago. Now patients are fighting back to cut insulin costs.
Have you heard about the insulin crisis? Diabetics who are dependent on insulin to live now have to pay $1,000 a month on average for insulin and supplies. Why would that be when the doctors who discovered insulin and its life-saving properties for diabetics sold the patent for $1 in 1921 to the University of Toronto?
The Right Care Alliance is hosting a series of marches nationwide on Saturday, May 12. Click here to find a march near you or to organize one yourself.
The theme of the marches is Mother’s Day, which happens to fall the next day. No mother should lose a child because of the cost of insulin, and frankly, I think no child should lose a mother due to the cost of insulin either!
“Our goal is to build local awareness,” Vikas Saini, MD, told me. “We want enough awareness so that we can get the prices lowered on insulin either through the pharmaceutical companies or through our legal system and politicians.” Dr. Saini is the co-chair of the Right Care Alliance and the president of the Lown Institute.
If there are no rallies in your area, you can still participate. Sign this electronic Mother’s Day card that Right Care Alliance will deliver to pharmaceutical companies that are charging indefensible prices for insulin.
Putting Patients — Not Profits — First
The Right Care Alliance is a grassroots coalition of doctors, patients and community members who are holding the healthcare system accountable to put patients — not profits — at the heart of healthcare. Unfortunately, insulin manufacturers are doing the exact opposite. They charge exorbitant prices for their products, giving these companies an extremely high — to put it lightly — profit margin.
The name Right Care describes the type of healthcare that should be a human right — stopping the overuse of medicines and tests, and getting healthcare and medicines to those who need them and aren’t getting them. Think of them as the Goldilocks of healthcare: what you need, and no more than necessary.
The group is creating local chapters across the US. If you agree with its mission, join or start a chapter. And pay close attention to make sure you get appropriate care for you and your family.
