Insulin Matters 

Retiring from my career as a public school Speech/Language Pathologist in 2020 brought many changes to my life.  One of the most significant changes was becoming a Medicare-insured individual.  As a Type 1 diabetic, I would now receive all of my life-sustaining medicine and supplies through Medicare.  Unfortunately, it didn’t take me long to discover challenges with the system.  Surprisingly, I found the price for a vial of insulin varied depending on the delivery system. Using the most advanced system, the pump, the same insulin vial cost four times more than using a syringe.  Confused, outraged, and seeking answers, I reached out to my government officials, diabetic support groups, and Medicare only to have the door slapped in my face.  Finally, I contacted a USA Today reporter who wrote an article on my situation in the summer of 2022, ten days before Biden signed the Affordable Inflation Reduction Act that capped the cost of insulin for some seniors.  Coincident or not, it was a start to making insulin affordable as the founders of insulin, Banting, Best, and Macleod had intended in 1921.