Poison’s Bret Michaels Backs Affordable Insulin Now Act
Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who's a Type 1 diabetic, has stepped up to back the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which implements a price cap for insulin for those with certain health insurance and Medicare plans.
The singer was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 6-years-old, according to the biography on his website, but he didn't acknowledge his disease to the public until 1987 when he collapsed onstage due to low blood sugar.
Since then, he's been an advocate for spreading awareness about diabetes and the rising costs to treat it, establishing the Life Rocks Foundation to raise money for the cause and starting several other campaigns during November’s Diabetes Awareness Month.
The Affordable Insulin Now Act aims to cap the cost for a month's supply of insulin products at $35 for those with private health plans and Medicare Part D Senior Savings Model. If passed, the bill would go into effect beginning in 2023.
“All diabetics deserve a fighting chance to afford insulin,” Michaels stated in a press release about the act. “With rising costs for insulin in America skyrocketing, it puts treatments out of reach for many. And, it forces them to make a difficult decision when finances become tighter to decide if they can either ration medication doses or go without it. No one with diabetes should ever go without the opportunity for treatment.”
“I am excited about the passage of the Affordable Insulin Now Act in the House and am optimistic about it also passing the Senate, as I feel members of the Senate will truly see the light and the Act will be signed into law,” he continued. “Putting the needs of diabetic children and adults has always been at the forefront of the Life Rocks Foundation, and I offer my full support for this bill which will bring costs down for those in need.”
The American Diabetes Association notes that in 2019, 11.3 percent of the U.S. population had diabetes, and 1.9 million people had Type 1. A total of $237 billion was spent in the U.S. on direct medical costs for diabetics in 2017.