NC Minnesota News

Minnesota Senate Republicans passed a bill that will make insulin more affordable for residents with diabetes.

The legislation will provide insulin at low copays for individuals with urgent and ongoing insulin needs. According to KARE 11, an emergency 30-day insulin supply will be available for a $35 copay and a 90-day supply for a $50 copay.

“Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed the cost of the life-saving drug for diabetics skyrocket to a point where some Minnesotans could no longer afford it,” Sen. Justin Eichorn said in a press release on the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus website. “This innovative reform, coupled with successful measures passed over the previous year, will ensure that our state is turning the cost curve down on insulin and delivering affordable and accessible care options to the thousands of Minnesotans who rely on this drug across the state.”

The insulin affordability bill was named after Alec Smith, a 26-year-old man who died in 2017 because he couldn’t afford to refill his insulin prescription. He was forced to ration the insulin he had because the monthly cost of $1,300 for the drug and test supplies was too much of a financial burden.

“It's not a perfect bill, but it's going to save lives, that's for sure,” Nicole Smith-Holt, the mother of Alec Smith, told KARE 11. “Overall I'm happy with it.”

Smith-Holt and insulin activists were hoping that the bill offered a 90-day emergency supply rather than an initial 30-day with the option for another 30-day supply. They also expressed concern that non-citizens will be excluded from reaping the benefits of the bill since individuals must provide an official Minnesota ID card to obtain the insulin.

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes affects more than 466,000 people in Minnesota. There are nearly 30 million diabetics around the nation.