Several times during the debate last night candidates brought up the cost of insulin. Is insulin cost supposed to be a proxy for state of health care system as a whole? If so, why?
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Insulin its cheaper then deal with the cost of diabetes on long term, you can prevent amputations, heart and kidney problems, death… In my country insulin is free since the 80’s, so diabetics can live a regular life and work.
For seniors with diabetes, it’s a notable example where costs can get ridiculous. My late grandfather was on a managed Medicare plan that covered nearly all routine care services and medications with little or no out of pocket costs, yet still had to pay $200/month for insulin.
Insulin is _incredibly_ cheap to make and the rest of the world pays very little, if anything, for it. In the US, however, it’s expensive and the price goes up. It isn’t exactly a proxy for healthcare overall; I’d think of it more as “The go-to example of unnecessary and unfair price gouging by the health care industry.” Also, due to the existence of Type 1 Diabetes, it’s often a major cost of parents of young children. Many expensive healthcare treatments relate to conditions faced by adults, which others might think of as “their own fault.” Insulin is often a need of _children_ and saying “you are price-gouging kids who haven’t made any bad decisions as adults” makes it even more of a “pure” example than, say, Ozempic which is a really amazing treatment but treats a condition with less sympathy.
Insulin is a common medication that –
A. has been around lone enough that pretty much everyone has heard of it
B. is generally a drug that if you need it, you’ll require it or die, and will be on for life
C. treats a condition that’s common enough that nearly everyone knows at least 1 person who needs insulin
D. a common factor in needing insulin is being a total lethargic unit with a terrible diet – a US demographic large enough for these politicians to be specifically courting.
E. it’s common knowledge that insulin is incredible cheap to make, like under $5 to produce a vial. Also that most modern nations will provide insulin to their citizens free of charge. While it’s getting better, in the US that same <$5 vial might cost a patient anywhere from $75-$300.
So it’s a pretty easy talking point and synecdoche for the US medical system.
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