INDIANAPOLIS—State Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis) today introduced a proposal that would cap the price of insulin at $100 to help reduce the cost for Hoosiers.

The amendment Shackleford proposed to House Bill 1080 would have required the insurance provider to cap the total amount an individual is required to pay for a 30-day supply of a prescription insulin drug at $100, regardless of the amount or type of insulin prescribed. The amendment was blocked from debate on the House floor.

“During the 2019 legislative session, I successfully passed legislation that created an interim study committee dedicated to understanding why prescription drug prices have continued to increase so rapidly in Indiana,” said Shackleford. “I heard countless stories from Hoosiers about the hardships they face when trying to afford insulin for themselves, a child or another loved one.

“This isn’t a problem that affects one or two Hoosiers, this is a crisis that is being experienced in every corner of our state,” Shackleford continued. “We have an emergency on our hands when reports are showing that one in four people with diabetes are rationing their insulin because they are unable to afford this life-saving medication.

“House Republicans seem to be more concerned with giant pharmaceutical companies than the Hoosiers they are here to represent. The Indiana House Democrats will continue to serve Hoosiers first as we fight to lower the price of life-saving and life-sustaining insulin.”

As the Indy Star reported, a man from Dallas, Indiana who became uninsured couldn’t afford to pay for a higher grade prescription insulin he was prescribed for his Type I diabetes. The man, who was 39, died from pneumonia and complications related to the disease after switching to a much cheaper version of insulin that he could buy over the counter.

According to AARP Indiana, prescription drug prices have increased 58 percent from 2012 to 2017. In 2009, the average price of a 30-day supply of insulin was $93 and in 2019 the average cost of a 30-day supply of insulin was $275.