# Can someone please explain efforts to cap insulin?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [November 16, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039 "2022-11-16T17:09:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/1 "2022-11-16T17:09:33Z")

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An intelligent conservative and I are talking about the efforts in Congress to cap the price of insulin so I need a fair analysis or I’ll get fact-checked. Here are two points:

1. He says that he too is hazy on details, but says something about Republicans once offering to cap price at $10 and Dems rejected. Is this true?

2. Republicans offered a counter-proposal to the recent insulin price capping act that didn’t violate senate rules but the Dems rejected. True?

Can anyone shed light on these two points for me? Again, I need it to be a fair portrait even though the vast majority of us on the SD are liberals. Thanks in advance for your help.

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**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/2 "2022-11-16T17:15:26Z")

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If I had to guess, the truth will probably be something like, “insulin is $5, and by the way, trans people in concentration camps.” That’s how it usually seems to go.

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**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/3 "2022-11-16T20:47:39Z")

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Sounds like you should reply “Interesting! Could you point me to the bills in question?”

If they exist you might get lucky and someone here remembers exactly when, or have exceptional googling skill to take them past the hundreds of articles on the current house bill, but if they don’t it doesn’t much make sense for all of us to try to find them.

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/4 "2022-11-17T06:42:07Z")

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Since when does the government set the price of drugs?

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**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/5 "2022-11-17T08:07:08Z")

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This.

Any time someone says “party X proposed uncontroversial and universally acknowledged beneficial law but party Y said no,” 99% of the time it’s because the proposal was also attached to something else much less agreed upon.

“Oh, your party is for lower taxes? Then why did you vote against our lower taxes and increased puppy-kicking bill, huh? Guess you were lying when you said you wanted lower taxes!” _smugness insues_

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**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/6 "2022-11-17T08:31:47Z")

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The only reference I can find is from a [Washington Times Editorial](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/12/democrats-reject-cheap-insulin-for-the-uninsured/) by Marco Rubio

> On a sleepy Sunday morning, every single Democrat rejected a Republican amendment to provide insulin at $10 per prescription for anyone who is low-income (below 350% of the federal poverty level), including the uninsured. I voted yes because it was common sense. So did every single Senate Republican. Yet the Democrats unanimously rejected the provision.

There is no other reference given. The distinction seems to be the requirement of being low income, rather than a global cap. Also as others have said it probably contained several poison pills that Rubio neglected to mention.

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**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/7 "2022-11-17T08:35:31Z")

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> [@Eonwe](#):
>
> smugness insues

Ensues (middle-of-the-night posting leads to misspelling, kids).

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**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/8 "2022-11-17T08:47:05Z")

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I think I tracked down the [ammendment](https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/08/06/168/133/CREC-2022-08-06-pt1-PgS4334-3.pdf). The news article that linked to it said that Democrats rejected it for being weaker of narrower. It too late at night for me to try to translate the legalese as to why this was a bad amendment but other Dopers are welcome to try.

> Mr. KENNEDY submitted an  
> amendment intended to be proposed to  
> amendment SA 5194 proposed by Mr.  
> SCHUMER to the bill H.R. 5376, to pro-  
> vide for reconciliation pursuant to title  
> II of S. Con. Res. 14; which was ordered  
> to lie on the table; as follows:  
> At the appropriate place, insert the fol-  
> lowing:  
> SEC. lll. PROVIDING DISCOUNTED INSULIN TO  
> LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME AMERI-  
> CANS.  
> (a) I N G ENERAL.—There is appropriated to  
> the Secretary of Health and Human Services  
> (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec-  
> retary’’), out of any monies in the Treasury  
> not otherwise appropriated, $3,100,000,000 for  
> fiscal year 2023, to remain available through  
> September 30, 2026, for making payments to  
> Federally-qualified health centers for pur-  
> poses of covering direct costs incurred by  
> such centers for making discounted insulin  
> and epinephrine available to qualifying cen-  
> ter patients, as described in subsection (b).  
> (b) I NSULIN AND E PINEPHRINE A FFORD-  
> ABILITY.—  
> (1) I N GENERAL.—If a Federally-qualified  
> health center participates in the drug dis-  
> count program under section 340B of the  
> Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256b)  
> and makes insulin or injectable epinephrine  
> available to its patients, such center shall  
> provide insulin and injectable epinephrine at  
> or below the discounted price paid by the  
> center or subgrantee of the center under the  
> drug discount program under such section  
> 340B (plus a minimal administration fee) to  
> qualifying center patients through fiscal  
> year 2026.  
> (2) LIMITATION.—As applicable, the cost of  
> insulin and injectable epinephrine made  
> available to patients pursuant to this sub-  
> section shall not exceed the cost of such in-  
> sulin and injectable epinephrine pursuant to  
> the schedule of fees or payment under sec-  
> tion 330(k)(3)(G) of the Public Health Service  
> Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(k)(3)(G)).  
> (c) P AYMENTS.—The Secretary shall make  
> prospective quarterly payments to Feder-  
> ally-qualified health centers in an amount  
> that equals the sum of the following:  
> (1) The product of—  
> (A) the number of units of insulin fur-  
> nished to qualifying center patients in the  
> previous quarter; and  
> (B) the direct costs of procuring and mak-  
> ing available each such unit of insulin at the  
> discounted rate provided for under this sec-  
> tion.  
> (2) The product of—  
> (A) the number of units of injectable epi-  
> nephrine furnished to qualifying center pa-  
> tients in the previous quarter; and  
> (B) the direct costs of procuring and mak-  
> ing available each such unit of injectable ep-  
> inephrine at the discounted rate provided for  
> under this section.  
> (d) USE OF P AYMENTS.—Payments made to  
> Federally-qualified health centers under this  
> section shall be used for the sole purpose of  
> covering direct costs incurred by such cen-  
> ters in making insulin and injectable epi-  
> nephrine available to qualifying center pa-  
> tients under subsection (b).  
> (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:  
> (1) F EDERALLY- QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER.—  
> The term ‘‘Federally-qualified health cen-  
> ter’’ has the meaning given such term in sec-  
> tion 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act  
> (42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)(2)(B)).  
> (2) Q UALIFYING CENTER PATIENT.—The term  
> ‘‘qualifying center patient’’ means a patient  
> of a Federally-qualified health center whose  
> household income is equal to or less than 350  
> percent of the Federal poverty line and  
> who—  
> (A) has a cost-sharing requirement under a  
> health insurance plan for insulin or  
> injectable epinephrine under which the pa-  
> tient out-of-pocket share is more than 20  
> percent of the total amount charged by the  
> center for insulin or epinephrine;  
> (B) has a high unmet deductible under a  
> health insurance plan; or  
> (C) has no health insurance.  
> (f) P REVENTION AND P UBLIC H EALTH F UND  
> O FFSET.—Section 4002(b) of the Patient Pro-  
> tection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C.  
> 300u–11) is amended—  
> (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘each of  
> fiscal years 2022 and 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘fis-  
> cal year 2022’’;  
> (2) by striking paragraphs (7) and (8);  
> (3) by redesignating paragraph (9) as para-  
> graph (8); and  
> (4) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol-  
> lowing:  
> ‘‘(7) for fiscal year 2027, $1,800,000,000; and’’.  
> SA 5386. Mr. COTTON (for himself,  
> Mr. GRASSLEY, and Mr. HAGERTY ) sub-  
> mitted an amendment intended to be  
> proposed to amendment SA 5194 pro-  
> posed by Mr. SCHUMER to the bill H.R.  
> 5376, to provide for reconciliation pur-  
> suant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14;  
> which was ordered to lie on the table;  
> as follows:  
> In title VII, strike section 70001 and insert  
> the following:  
> SEC. 70001. FUNDING FOR THE DETENTION OF  
> SINGLE ADULT CRIMINAL ALIENS.  
> In addition to amounts otherwise avail-  
> able, there is appropriated to U.S. Immigra-  
> tion and Customs Enforcement for fiscal  
> year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury  
> not otherwise appropriated, $400,000,000,  
> which shall remain available until expended,  
> for necessary expenses of custody operations  
> for the detention of criminal aliens, as de-  
> scribed in section 236(c) of the Immigration  
> and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1226(c)).

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/9 "2022-11-17T11:29:44Z")

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> [@Buck\_Godot](#):
>
> In title VII, strike section 70001 and insert  
> the following:  
> SEC. 70001. FUNDING FOR THE DETENTION OF  
> SINGLE ADULT CRIMINAL ALIENS.  
> In addition to amounts otherwise avail-  
> able, there is appropriated to U.S. Immigra-  
> tion and Customs Enforcement for fiscal  
> year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury  
> not otherwise appropriated, $400,000,000,  
> which shall remain available until expended,  
> for necessary expenses of custody operations  
> for the detention of criminal aliens, as de-  
> scribed in section 236(c) of the Immigration  
> and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1226(c)).

Yes, that seems relevant to insulin prices.

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**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/10 "2022-11-17T17:22:38Z")

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I don’t think that last bit was actually part of the insulin ammendement that the Dems voted down. This was all part of a omnibus budget bill with lots of different parts, and I cut and pasted from the middle of a rack of ammendments on all sorts of subjects. The insulin part was an ammendment from Senator Kennedy while the immigration part was from Senator Cotton I think I just cut and pasted too far.

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/11 "2022-11-17T22:34:40Z")

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Ah, okay. Noted.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/12 "2023-03-01T16:58:25Z")

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Good news:

> **[Eli Lilly cuts the price of insulin, capping drug at $35 per month out-of-pocket](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/01/1160339792/eli-lilly-insulin-price)**
>
> The moves announced Wednesday promise critical relief to some people with diabetes who can face annual costs of more than $1,000 for insulin they need in order to live.

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-please-explain-efforts-to-cap-insulin/975039/13 "2023-03-09T17:45:26Z")

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I just paid $35 for a 3 month supply at Costco. Not sure what happened there, but I wan’t going to call them out. Last month I beleive I paid $95 for a one month supply.

Thank You Joe Biden!

I know, I know. But the POTUS gets blamed for things he has no control over, so this is just as fair.