Rep. Sharon Chung Backs Measure to Cap Insulin Costs

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, put her support behind a measure to cap 30-day insulin costs for people on state-regulated health insurance at $35.

“Decades ago, insulin was widely available at little-to-no cost for patients. Years later, insulin has ratcheted up in cost and become the poster child for price-gouging pharmaceutical companies extracting every dollar they can from patients who need this drug to live.” Chung said. “I will not allow anyone in our community to be held hostage by their need for medication. This measure makes a great deal of progress on insulin, but there is much more work to do.”

The current cap on a 30-day supply of insulin for all people on state-regulated plans is $100. Chung is backing House Bill 2189, which lowers that cap to $35. Federal law currently caps the cost of insulin at $35 per month for Medicaid patients. However, private insurance plans are not covered by that cap.

This bill passed the House with unanimous support and is now in the Senate for consideration.

“The profit padding and greed has to come to an end,” Chung said. “It’s time we asked ourselves a very simple question: are we going to let pharmaceutical companies endanger the lives of diabetics for profit? I can confidently say no to that question, and that’s why I’m proud to support this bill.”