Brad Anderson. (AARP photo)
AARP Iowa state director, Brad Anderson, says the organization is pushing for state lawmakers to enact a cap on insulin costs like the one now in place for federal Medicare users
“While more than 18,000 Iowans on Medicare will now save on average 725 dollars per year on insulin — there are still many not on Medicare, who struggled to afford their full insulin dose,” Anderson says. He says no Iowans should have to worry about how they are going to pay for insulin.
“The Iowa insurance division estimates around 245,000 Iowans are on health insurance plans regulated by the state. And here in Iowa, those plans have no caps on insulin,” Anderson says. “So this means Iowans on these plans continue paying hundreds of dollars per month for insulin.”
AARP Iowa would like to see a state cap on insulin somewhere between 35 and 100 dollars per month. “Such a cap has been passed in the House previously, in 2021. It has received broad bipartisan support in the past and we believe the time has come to get this bill to the finish line,” Anderson says.
He says insulin was created 100 years ago and has gone up about 600 percent in price in the last 20 years.
“There is simply no rational rhyme or reason why we should be paying this much for insulin, number one. Number two, what we’re proposing here, which is a state cap on insulin costs, has been passed in 21 other states. So this is something that can be done,” Anderson says.