The health insurer says it will cap the price of insulin at $ 25 for a month of supply under the new program



[ad_1]

(CNN VAN / Gray News) – A health insurer says that a new program will help families who have to pay for insulin that will save their lives.

Cigna announced Wednesday the launch of the patient insurance program.

According to the company, the plan will limit the $ 25 non-reimbursable expenses for a 30-day insulin supply.

People with type 1 diabetes do not naturally produce it in their body and need it to regulate their blood sugar. Without this, they can die in a few days.

The announcement of Cigna comes a day after the announcement by the Food and Drug Administration of competition in the insulin market. The federal agency sees a way to lower prices.

According to Cigna, patients paid an average of nearly $ 42 a month for the drug last year. This includes deductibles, co-pays or co-insurance.

Pharmaceutical companies have been criticized by advocates for overweight uninsured insulin patients. The parents blamed the companies for the death of their children, who in some cases had to ration their insulin when they could not afford to pay up to $ 1,000 a month for the vital hormone.

A report revealed a rise in prices for all types of insulin and insulin products. He noted that point-of-sale prices almost doubled between 2012 and 2016.

In October, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a lawsuit against a group of pharmaceutical companies that effectively controlled the insulin market, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, claiming in a statement that They had "misleadingly increased the price of insulin, making it less affordable." to patients in high-deductible plans, the uninsured and the elderly on Medicare. "

Copyright 2019 CNN VAN and Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[ad_2]
Source link