West Virginia House passes bill to reduce insulin costs

(The Center Square) – The West Virginia House passed legislation that would reduce the cost of purchasing insulin and sent the bill to the Senate for consideration.

House Bill 4252, sponsored by Del. Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell, passed the Senate with nearly unanimous support: 94-3. The bill would reduce the maximum copay on insulin from $100 to $35 and would reduce the maximum copay for devices to $100. The legislation also caps the copay for insulin pumps to $200 and requires a new pump is covered every two years.

The bill will also guarantee a patient will not need a prescription to receive a ketone test.

“National reports indicate as many as one in four type [one] diabetics underuse, or ration, insulin due to these increased costs,” the bill stated. “Rationing insulin has resulted in nerve damage, diabetic comas, amputation, kidney damage and even death.”

According to the bill, about 240,000 West Virginians have diabetes. Every person with type one diabetes and many people with type two diabetes need insulin. Every year, West Virginians spend about $2.5 billion on medical costs related to diabetes and medical costs for people with diabetes is about 2.3 times higher than the average person.

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