It costs ~$70 to produce a year’s supply of insulin. Yet, the average annual cost of insulin went from $2,864 in 2012 to $5,705 in 2016 to $18,000 in 2024. That’s a 25,714% markup.😳
That isn’t inflation. It isn’t supply chain issues. It is 100% corporate greed. #MakeInsulinFree
And insulin is just one example of how the US medical system (it isn't really "care" at this point) rips us all off in the interest of corporate profits. ACA went nowhere near far enough.
Why does that (again) make me think it could be related to food habits in the US/North America. Can't think of any (popular) food from America that's not laced with sugar other than the usual steaks/fries.
@Deus It is not the need for insulin that is uniquely a US problem - it is the need to support and defend against all evidence a health system that prioritizes corporate profits over caring.
many insulin users are diagnosed as children. i was 3. an immunodeficiency caused my pancreas to fail when i contracted chickenpox. it's true that american foodstuffs have waaay too much sugar, often in unexpected products. but type-1 is always insulin dependent, and not caused by sugar in the diet.
but all the more reason insulin should be free. but you know we only love fetuses here, not actual living children. 😮💨
@QasimRashid And for those who would jump up and down and say that national healthcare systems don't work: I lived for almost 30 years in a country with one, and I can tell you it works. Nobody is afraid they will become sick, or get hurt, lose their job and then be bankrupted by medical bills. Nobody has to tell the ambulance which hospital to take them to for their insurance to cover it. It works much, much better than the US scheme. Unless the goal is corporate profits, of course.
I was hanging out with a couple visiting from Canada. We were drunk and goofing off, one tripped and fell down and the other said, "Careful! You'll end up in an AMERICAN hospital!"
@DaWoDerPfeffer@thomasfuchs@cswalker21@QasimRashid but we’re not social countries, we’re capitalist like you. The difference is most developed nations know preventative medicine is cheaper than sick patients. That a healthy person is better for the economy than a sick one. The USA monetarises everything and puts business before people. Income and wealth inequality is higher in the USA than in almost any other developed country
@cswalker21@QasimRashid Government-owned, Contractor-operated. The US already uses this approach to buy nukes, tanks, jets, bombs, missiles, etc.
For the few billion it would cost to build a pharma plant, the US would get local jobs, more supply of off-patent drugs (lowering the cost), domestic supply and supply-chain diversity for the next pandemic, and low-cost drugs for Medicare.
@QasimRashid In the U.K., diabetics do not pay for insulin. It is provided free of charge by our beloved, precious National Health Service (long may she reign). So through taxation we collectively support those living with diabetes (and other diseases and health issues). And should I, my family members, my friends or neighbours become sick, we will all be supported too. Nice huh. So I guess, what I’m saying is that the problem isn’t the price of insulin.
@QasimRashid In 2021, 38.4 million Americans, or 11.6% of the population, had diabetes-it's hard to believe they don't have enough clout to get this fixed.
@QasimRashid In Canada (where insulin was first developed), insulin is many times cheaper than the US., and under a new program, will become completely free in the coming year.
@QasimRashid I'm confused. Is this some American thing? This isn't true in free countries. I paid $0 for my insulin the last 20 years and if I were to pay cash it would be ~$50 CAD/month over the counter.
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