When you have diabetes, there are an endless amount of supplies needed that aren't by any means free. Every month or so, supplies have to be ordered so you don't run out, and the cost of them adds up quickly. People with diabetes spend more on insurance, but the benefits aren't as good as one may think. On March 6, 2013, the American Diabetes Association released new information saying, " the total costs of diagnosed diabetes have risen to $245 billion in 2012 from $174 billion in 2007... a 41 percent increase over a five year period." (ADA,2015). Insurance companies aren't helping as much as they used to, but now things are starting to get even more expensive. Someone with s medical problem, such as diabetes, spends a generous amount more than someone without a medical problem even though we need certain supplies in order to survive. These companies are taking advantage of people with medical issues which isn't right and should be changed. The American Diabetes Association also mentioned in their article that, " people with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures approximately 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes." (ADA,2015). There are so many costs that go along with having diabetes and many of diabetics want to be healthy and live a long life but it takes a lot of money to be able to do so and people need more help. I'm not saying diabetics, or others, should be getting their supplies for free because it would hurt companies, but it would help if the lives of the customers was taken into consideration to make things a little easier for them. If insurance companies lowered their costs, or even covered more of the costs, people with diabetes would possibly be able to go to the doctor more often. If that happened, they would be healthier long term, which would actually be beneficial to the insurance companies.
Recently, a few makers of insulin have talked about increasing their prices on this lifesaving drug. In a recent study, the American Medial Association said, "the price of insulin nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013." (Insulin,2017). These price increases have left many people upset, which doesn't have much to do with higher production rates. People who pay out of pocket for insulin are spending way more than they need to. Diabetics live on insulin and without it, they would not be able to survive very long. A statement in an article by the Washington Post said, "A version of insulin that carried a list price of $17 a vial in 1977 is priced at $138 today." (Johnson,2016) This cost increase is outrageous and today more and more people are needing it. Even if you have insurance, which does cover most of the cost, it doesn't cover the occasional times where a person runs out of insulin earlier than expected or even loses a vial and has to go to the pharmacy and pay full price. Also mentioned in the article by the Washington post was that, "Companies say they charge high prices for old drugs so they can launch newer and better ones- and charge more for them too." (Johnson, 2016). This is a never ending battle for people with diabetes because medicine will always be evolving and companies will continue to come out with and develop new products. Another surprising statement said was, "Since 1996, there have been more than two dozen price increases on a vial of Humalog insulin. Adjusted for inflation, the current price is 700% higher than it was 20 years ago."( Johnson, 2016). Insulin has gotten much more efficient over the years because of the changes made to it, but the cost of it is outrageous considering how many people need it to survive. Many people are wondering if the benefits of the new and improved is worth the cost. Even though the drug has been around for so long, there is no generic brand for insulin so there are still many people who can't necessarily afford to pay for toe amount of insulin it takes to stay healthy. There is no alternative to insulin like there is with other medications because it cannot be made into a pill, so people with diabetes have to pay the high prices because they have no other choice. Sooner or later, diabetics won't be able to afford the only thing that keeps them alive.
Sources:
"Insulin Makers Conspired to Raise Prices: Lawsuit." WebMD. WebMD, 30 Jan. 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.
Entous, Philip Rucker Adam, and Carolyn Y. Johnson. "Why Treating Diabetes Keeps Getting More Expensive." The Washington Post. WP Company, 31 Oct. 2016. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
"The Cost of Diabetes." American Diabetes Association. American Diabetes Association, 22 June 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
Wow! It's crazy just how much having diabetes- something most people were born with can map out your whole life's expenses. I had no clue just how much it costs to live with diabetes...something that isn't controllable. Because so much of the population does have diabetes, I feel as a country, something has to be done to make living with diabetes more affordable. It isn't fair that people that were unlucky to have such a life changing/controlling disease should have to pay extra just to live a good life. Like you said, "Sooner or later, diabetics won't be able to afford the only thing that keeps them alive." That isn't right, and as a country we need to do something to change that.
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