A proposal to offer free insulin to eligible patients in Minnesota is being met with some caution by those who are advocating for the life-saving drug for diabetics to be more affordable.
Republican Senators propose making insulin available at no cost once eligibility requirements are verified within five days.
Nicole Smith-Holt told a committee reviewing the proposal that she worries that timeframe is too long.
“Lives could be lost during that waiting period. As you can tell from my testimony my son died in a matter of 24 hours without insulin,” says Smith-Holt.
Smith-Holt is also critical that diabetics and family members weren’t consulted first before the proposed legislation was crafted.
The proposal also set an income ceiling of $50,000.
Alexis Stanley says high wage earners are also challenged by the high cost of insulin.
“Just because I make more than $50 grand a year does not mean I have the resources to obtain my life-saving insulin. This plan, although I’m happy to see something being worked on, is not long term,” says Stanely.
Some Minnesotans who are diabetic are traveling to Canada to purchase insulin where it’s sold at a tenth of the price.
Many others who can’t make the trip are forced to ration their insulin for as long as they can.
