A House committee in Frankfort approved yesterday a bill to cap out-of-pocket costs for many Kentuckians relying on insulin.
The push to provide relief for Kentuckians struggling to afford insulin is supported by Gov. Andy Beshear. The new Democratic governor highlighted the issue in his State of the Commonwealth speech last month.
The bill headed to the House would limit out-of-pocket costs at $100 per prescription for a 30-day insulin supply. That cap would apply only to people with commercial health insurance plans.
More than 500,000 people in Kentucky have diabetes.
In the past 14 years, the price of insulin has skyrocketed by more than 550% when adjusted for inflation, said Republican Rep. Danny Bentley, the bill’s lead sponsor. Insulin is used by people with diabetes to keep their blood sugar at safe levels.
The full House is likely to vote on the measure next week.
