By: Editorial Board
North Carolina Republicans seem to be uninterested in providing relief for folks who are struggling to afford the life sustaining medications they need. Over 1 million people in North Carolina have diabetes. 12.4% of the state’s adult population rely on insulin, which for some people can cost as much as $1,000 per month.
The House of Representatives voted on March 31st to approve legislation that would limit cost-sharing for insulin under private health insurance and Medicare to $35 dollars a month. The vote was 232-193, with 12 Republican members voting in favor of the measure. All North Carolina Republicans but one voted against.
At a time when one in four Americans are skipping or rationing doses of insulin it seems particularly heartless to do nothing to make this essential medication affordable, but instead work to prevent any measures to do so..
Democratic Party Chair Bobbie Richardson stated in a press release “Today’s vote by nearly the entire North Carolina Republican congressional delegation, including U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd, against capping insulin costs, is a slap in the face to the many North Carolinians on private health insurance and Medicare who depend on this life saving drug. While North Carolina Democrats are focused on lowering the cost of insulin and other medications Americans depend on, Republicans are siding with big pharmaceutical companies over North Carolinians.”
