What the November election could mean for people who need insulin
President Biden has proposed to extend the $35 monthly cap on insulin out-of-pocket costs to people with commercial insurance. The Biden Administration and Senate Democrats included a similar provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, but that provision was stripped from the final legislation after the vast majority of Republicans voted to remove it. According to KFF analysis, more than 1 in 4 insulin users in the individual and small group markets and about 1 in 5 insulin users with large employer coverage paid, on average, more than $35 per month out-of-pocket for insulin in 2018.
The House Republican Study Committee proposed a full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act in its FY2025 budget proposal. While it is unclear whether Trump supports repealing this law in its entirety, doing so would eliminate the $35 insulin copay cap for millions of insulin users with Medicare and leave in its place only voluntary efforts offered by the three major insulin manufacturers, which apply to many people irrespective of their health coverage.
