Scherer Backs Proposal to Lower Insulin Costs

DECATUR, Ill. – Continuing her fight to improve access to affordable health care for working families, state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, is working to cap payments for lifesaving insulin medication at $100 per month.

“Billion-dollar insurance and pharmaceutical corporations are receiving record profits as they hike prices of lifesaving medications, leaving working families in our community out to dry,” Scherer said. “It’s unacceptable that due to these unwarranted price hikes, folks are being forced to choose between paying for their medication and health or paying their rent and monthly bills on time.”

Scherer is supporting Senate Bill 667, a new proposal seeking to cap patients’ insulin payments at $100 a month. This bill is addressing the massive spike in insulin prices; between 2002 and 2013, out-of-pocket costs for insulin increased almost 300%. There are 1.3 million adults with diabetes in Illinois, many of whom regularly rely on insulin to maintain their health and quality of life. Capping insulin costs for these patients in Illinois is part of Scherer’s broader effort to improve the affordability and accessibility for every resident in Illinois.

“I’ll always fight to improve access to affordable, quality health care for families in central Illinois over the profits of big insurance and big pharmaceutical companies,” Scherer said. “The status quo is broken. To build a stronger Illinois, we need to empower the middle class and ensuring middle-class families have access to affordable health care is vital to that cause.”