Is there a solution to rising insulin prices?
The solutions on the table are laws and oversight. One is transparent pricing that forces drug companies to reveal how they set insulin prices. The other is federal enforcement. The American Medical Association has urged the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice to do it. Until then, open talk between patient and clinician is what prevents deaths from rationing.
The rising cost of insulin has been a heated topic of public policy debate. But the human struggle of patients trying to cope has gotten less attention. Some patients tried rationing their insulin to make it last longer. Their struggles include hospital stays and even death.
Besides rationing, some patients cut back on carbohydrates just to lower their insulin dose. Others saved money by reusing insulin needles and blood glucose test strips. All of this risks wrong readings and infection.
Despite this alarming news, no one knows the exact number of people who died or were harmed by rationing. That is most likely because patients and family members are too embarrassed to report it.
Because of these struggles, grassroots advocacy groups formed. They include the campaign hashtag #Insulin4all, backed by the nonprofits T1International and Pendsey Trust. Most #Insulin4all supporters are very critical of the people who make policy, especially politicians. They go as far as accusing the drug industry of making diabetics an underclass.
The claimed reason for sky-high insulin prices is a monopoly. Three companies have a chokehold on setting the price of insulin.
The idea behind preventing deaths from rationing is that more open talk between patients and the clinician is the key. Many times, this talk is cut short because of how patients feel. They feel like failures. They fear not being seen as independent. They are embarrassed that they cannot afford their own medicine.
One expected result of rising prices is a push to go back to older human insulins called NPH and Regular. This is harder for the patient because it takes a syringe and a needle. Modern insulin comes in prefilled pens. Without them, the patient could get the wrong dose or struggle to work out the right dosing schedule.
Given this problem, the solution may lie in making laws. Some experts favor transparent pricing. That would require drug companies to reveal in detail how they set insulin prices. Groups like the American Medical Association have strongly urged the US Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice to closely watch insulin pricing and to take action when they can.
Note that the brands Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Eli Lilly promised ways to keep insulin affordable for patients. But trusting company promises may not be the best answer to this serious problem either.
Source: Diabetes Patients Beg, Ration Insulin in Deepening Crisis (Medscape).
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
