Sen. Sherrod Brown fights for lower insulin costs during Mahoning County visit
.jpg "Sen. Brown talked about capping the monthly cost of insulin for Americans at $35 per month, an amendment to the Inflation Reduction Act. He was in Lowellville on Monday alongside pharmacist Ray Carlson.")
Sen. Sherrod Brown advocated for more affordable insulin prices for Americans during his visit to the Mahoning County area.
Sen. Brown talked about the Inflation Reduction Act on Monday in Lowellville alongside pharmacist Ray Carlson.
The Inflation Reduction Act has already been signed into law, controlling the costs for some patients with diabetes.
Insulin won’t exceed $35 a month for Ohioans on Medicare.
But now, there’s an amendment on the table to expand the $35 monthly cap on insulin to everyone, no matter their insurance coverage.
“Last year, after years of fighting opposition from Big Pharma, we finally took major steps to lower the cost of insulin for older Ohioans. Tens of thousands of Ohioans are saving hundreds of dollars a year because of our price cap on insulin,” said Sen. Brown. “And we’re not stopping there. I’m fighting to expand the cap on insulin costs to all Ohioans, so that anyone who needs this lifesaving medicine won’t be forced to pay more than $35 a month.”
There’s another part of the act that lowers prescription drug costs especially for , as explained by Sen. Brown.
Any companies that increase their prices faster than inflation are “required to pay a rebate to lower costs for patients and taxpayers.”
Impact on Ohioans
Carlson is a pharmacist and owner of RC Outsourcing and RC Compounding Services based in Lowellville.
He’s been in business for 40 years.
“With the help of Senator Brown and his ongoing initiatives, we will continue our fight against those who chose not to conduct business in a manner that ensures patient safety and wellness,” said Carlson.
Kathleen and Mike Heinzer are two Ohioans who used to pay between $3,000 and $3,500 every three months for insulin.
“It was getting to the point where you know, you do the first three months and you’re in the donut hole, so that put all your drugs in the higher expense level,” said Mike Heinzer. “It has really helped us a lot now the insurance pretty much covers everything with the lower price that was negotiated by the government.”
Kathleen Heizner said the Inflation Reduction Act means a lot to them.
“We think it means a lot to a lot of people, not only in Ohio but around the country. It’s really difficult to work your whole life to retire and then once you retire, you have to rethink it all over again because of the cost of the drugs. So, we thank you very much for all that you do,” said Kathleen Heinzer.
