Most Medicare enrollees could get insulin for $35 a month

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Medicare recipients will have access to prescription plans next year that limit their copays for insulin to no more than $35 a month, potentially saving hundreds of dollars, the Trump administration announced Tuesday.

The new benefit — to be formally unveiled at a Rose Garden event Tuesday afternoon — is being touted as a major accomplishment by Trump administration officials eager to change the subject from the grim drumbeat of coronavirus pandemic news.

Older adults who pick a drug plan offering the new insulin benefit would save an estimated $446 a year, while gaining the ability to budget out-of-pocket costs at a manageable amount. Cost-sharing amounts for prescription drugs can now fluctuate considerably month by month.

The new insulin benefit will be voluntary, so during open enrollment this fall Medicare recipients who are interested must make sure to pick a plan that provides it.

Stable copays for insulin are the result of a deal shepherded by the administration between insulin manufacturers and major insurers, Medicare chief Seema Verma told The Associated Press.

“It was a delicate negotiation,” said Verma. Drugmakers and insurers have been at odds in recent years, blaming one another for high prices. “I do think this is a big step.”

The deal comes as President Donald Trump returns to the issue of drug prices as he tries to woo older people whose votes are critical to his reelection prospects in November.

The cost of insulin is one the biggest worries for consumers generally concerned about high prices for brand name drugs. Millions of people with diabetes use insulin to keep their blood sugars within normal ranges and stave off complications that can include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations....