The Insulin Affordability Crisis: How Drug Companies Are Putting Patients at Risk

Skyrocketing insulin prices put millions at risk of rationing the lifesaving drug. But policy fixes like capping costs seek to ease the affordability crisis.

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As prices surge for necessities like food and gas, millions of Americans face an even more frightening spike: the cost of staying alive.

For those living with chronic illnesses, rationing life-sustaining medications has become the only option, but it comes with putting their health at serious risk. This desperate predicament is especially true for the over 30 million people in the United States struggling with diabetes, a potentially fatal disease when left uncontrolled.

Nearly 40 Percent of Americans Prediabetic as Insulin Costs Spiral

Nearly 100 million Americans—or 38 percent of the U.S. adult population—are currently prediabetic, with almost 40 million diagnosed with a condition that makes them reliant on insulin to survive, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).