The Affordable Insulin Now Act has been implemented to reduce the cost of insulin, an essential medication that addresses high blood glucose in patients with diabetes. The aim is to limit the expenses that the not covered by health insurance to 35$ a month for insulin products (Affordable Insulin Now Act, 2022). Thus, individuals with private health plans and Medicare Plan D will be able to access the medication that they require without having to increase out-of-pocket costs. Since diabetes is a major challenge in the US, and the high medical expenses put a large demographic at risk, the act is to address some of the economic difficulties.
It is certain that individuals who would benefit most from the act are those diagnosed with diabetes. However, while the condition illustrates the importance of access to affordable medications, researchers highlight the prices for insulin are skyrocketing since only three major brands produce it in the US (Knox, 2020). According to Nally and Lipska (2020), insulin is a life and death medication for over 7 million Americans. The inability to access it at affordable prices will not only facilitate inequality in the healthcare system but also lead to higher rates of complications related to diabetes and mortality. Moreover, relevant studies show cost barriers to be major disruptors in regard to adherence to health plans. For example, a study determining the effects of the increased cost of kidney-disease medication found patients skip treatments and prescriptions (Dodd et al., 2018). As a result, the system does not contribute to the health of the general population and creates circumstances in which people cannot afford treatment.
The enactment of the act is crucial on multiple levels. Namely, relevant research shows patients to be dissatisfied with the cost of insulin, which ultimately facilitates both physical and mental distress (Gao et al., 2021). However, insulin is not the only medication that the lives of people depend on. An example is the high cost of epinephrine autoinjectors, a life-saving medication that is also known for being unaffordable (Shaker & Greenhawt, 2018). The pattern suggests a need to change the overall climate, and the insulin act can become an initial systematic shift toward more effective healthcare policies. Researchers highlight that the climate is essential for implementing an innovation (Klein & Sorra, 1996). Thus, the Affordable Insulin Now Act can become a precedent that impacts the overall climate of medication pricing.
Moreover, the act will facilitate research on how affordable medication impacts patient adherence to both medications and treatments facilitated by physicians. Researchers specify how small data, such as doctors engaging patients in research and contributing to extensive data collection, is efficient in terms of analysis of outcomes followed by policies and interventions (Sacristán & Dilla, 2015). This, however, does not imply low discretion since policy implementation regarding health issues and relying on patient data is to remain discrete for higher effectiveness (Tummers & Bekkers, 2013). As a result, the importance of the act is more extensive than providing patients with diabetes with life-saving medication at a more affordable price and addressing cost issues correlating with low adherence. In addition, the Affordable insulin Now Act facilitates a systemic change in healthcare as a whole. Thus, creating an environment in which insulin is more accessible may impact policymakers into considering similar medications in terms of the importance of making them affordable for individuals with various conditions.
References
Affordable Insulin Now Act, H.R. 6833, 117th Congress. (2022). Web.
Dodd, R., Palagyi, A., Guild, L., Jha, V., & Jan, S. (2018). The impact of out-of-pocket costs on treatment commencement and adherence in chronic kidney disease: A systematic review. Health Policy and Planning, 33(9), 1047–1054. Web.
Gao, C. C., Espinoza Suarez, N. R., Toloza, F. J. K., Malaga Zuniga, A. S., McCarthy, S. R., Boehmer, K. R., Yao, L., Fu, S., & Brito, J. P. (2021). Patients’ perspective about the cost of diabetes management: An analysis of online health communities.Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 5(5), 898–906. Web.
Klein, K. J., & Sorra, J. S. (1996). The Challenge of Innovation Implementation. Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 1055–1080. Web.
Knox, R. (2020). Insulin insulated: Barriers to competition and affordability in the United States insulin market. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 7(1). Web.
Nally, L. M., & Lipska, K. J. (2020). Expensive insulin—the epicenter of a large, life-threatening problem. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(7), 931. Web.
Sacristán, J. A., & Dilla, T. (2015). No big data without small data: Learning health care systems begin and end with the individual patient. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(6), 1014–1017. Web.
Shaker, M., & Greenhawt, M. (2018). Association of fatality risk with value-based drug pricing of epinephrine autoinjectors for children with peanut allergy. JAMA Network Open, 1(7). Web.
Tummers, L., & Bekkers, V. (2013). Policy implementation, street-level bureaucracy, and the importance of discretion. Public Management Review, 16(4), 527–547. Web.